JEDDAH: A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 777 traveling from Washington to Riyadh with 239 passengers on board made an emergency landing in Athens Thursday after the pilot suspected a fire in the luggage compartment, a Saudi Airlines official said. “The pilot saw a ‘fire alert' in the luggage compartment, forcing him to request permission for a precautionary landing at Athens International Airport,” said Abdullah Al-Ajhar, Director of Public Relations at Saudi Arabian Airlines. All passengers were safe, he said, and the plane resumed its flight to Riyadh after being checked. The plane landed at 10:49 A.M. Athens time.
