Riga/Vilnius  - A charter flight from the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, to the Turkish resort of Antalya was delayed Thursday after passengers joked about the presence of a bomb on board.

According to local media reports, a Boeing 757 operated by charter airline Aurela was due to depart at 6 am but a badly mistimed joke three minutes prior to take-off led to a full security alert and a detailed search of the aircraft.

The remarks were reportedly made by a holidaying couple from the western city of Klaipeda, Lithuania.

"After the bomb report, all 215 passengers were asked to leave the aircraft for repeated examination, the luggage and the airplane were checked but no explosives were found," Kestutis Auryla, director of the local Civil Aviation Administration, told the Baltic News Service.

The flight eventually departed at 8:32 am, minus the two passengers at the centre of the alert, who were being questioned by police. (dpa)