The Aer Arann flight which was diverted to Scotland last night after a note was found claiming a bomb was on board, has returned to Galway this afternoon.
The Luton to Galway flight was diverted to Prestwick airport just before 11pm. Strathclyde Police said today that four crew members and 49 passengers, including a baby, were "evacuated as a priority from the plane" and interviewed by detectives.
"A full search of the plane was carried out and nothing of note found," a force spokeswoman said, adding that inquiries were ongoing.
She said the 66-seat ATR 52 turboprop aircraft, was handed back to the airline at 2.25am while passengers and crew were put up in a local hotel for the night.
The scare follows a similar incident on Wednesday when more than 170 passengers and crew on a Paris to Dublin Ryanair flight were diverted to Prestwick after a note warning of a bomb on board was found in an in-flight magazine. No bomb was found but angry travellers condemned officials for forcing them to remain on the aircraft for two hours while it was searched row by row.
Prestwick's chief executive Mark Rodwell today praised his staff for their handling of the latest incident.
In a statement he said: "The airport remained operational throughout the incident, with aircraft operating on an alternative runway to the one on which the Aer Arann aircraft was positioned."
Mr Rodwell said he had no information to suggest any link between the two incidents.