A 26-year-old Pretoria man was arrested after allegedly claiming he had a bomb in his possession before boarding a flight at Port Elizabeth Airport, Eastern Cape police said on Wednesday.

The man, who had been in Port Elizabeth for business, was about to board a flight to Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday, said Inspector Dumile Gwavu.

"He made threats that he had a bomb and two firearms in his luggage. The police's dog unit and bomb squad were notified and it was discovered it was a lie."

The man was arrested for violating the Civil Aviation Act.

Sapa