Flight returns to Singapore after bomb hoax

A flight operated by budget airline Scoot has been escorted back to Singapore by fighter jets after a bomb hoax and a passenger was arrested.

Scoot is the budget arm of Singapore Airlines. Source: AAP

Two Singapore fighter jets have escorted a civilian plane bound for Thailand safely back to the city-state after a bomb threat by a passenger that police say was a hoax.

Three passengers were assisting police with their investigations, they said, adding one of them, a 41-year-old man, had been arrested for making a false bomb threat.

Scoot, the budget carrier of Singapore Airlines, said Flight TR634, an Airbus A320 carrying 173 passengers and six crew, would resume its journey to Hat Yai, in southern Thailand, in the evening.

Singapore's defence minister said in a Facebook post that two F-15SG fighter jets had escorted the plane from the South China Sea back to Changi airport.

"For our RSAF pilots who are on stand-by duties 24/7, every threat is considered real until proven otherwise," said Ng Eng Hen.

Additional reporting: AFP