Pilot aborts flight after 'suspect package' is discovered... which turns out to be a flask of water

An aircraft was forced to land after a "suspect package" was discovered on board mid-flight.

The SAS Airlines flight was travelling from Copenhagen in Denmark to Alicante in Spain when the flask was found at about 6pm yesterday.

The pilot had to divert and land in Dusseldorf in Germany, before it turned out the Thermos flask only contained water.

Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk was on board the flight as the incident unfolded.

He told the Standard the aircraft was met at Dusseldorf by firefighters and police, and passengers were told to disembark.

He said that after waiting outside the plane for about an hour, the package was declared safe, and passengers were able to continue their journeys.

Mr Danczuk told the Standard: "We were first given the impression that there was a technical fault with the plane and that we had to land.

"Once we were on the ground we were met by a lot of fire engines and police officers.

"We were all ushered off the plane in to a waiting area where we were told that a suspect package had been found on the plane.