A Corendon Airlines flight traveling from the Greek island of Corfu to Germany landed safely in Nuremberg on Tuesday, following a hijacking alert issued from the cockpit. The airline attributed the alert to a “short radio communications system failure.”
Corendon Airlines emphasized that there was no emergency situation, and passengers, crew, and the aircraft were never in danger, according to a statement reported by Reuters.
The incident briefly suspended operations at Nuremberg Airport, where the flight was headed. Flight operations resumed shortly after.
According to police, the cockpit transmitted the code “7500” indicating a hijacking situation, and the pilot was unreachable via radio. In response, various emergency alerts were activated.
Radio System Failure Explained
The alert came less than a month after a co-pilot attacked a pilot with an axe during a flight from Dubai to Israel, an incident deemed a “terrorist attack” by the UAE Attorney General.
Corendon Airlines noted that the emergency code was transmitted while the Boeing 737-800 was flying through Croatian airspace, due to a “short radio communications system failure.”
The situation was immediately monitored, investigations were initiated promptly, and all necessary measures were taken. The aircraft landed safely at Nuremberg Airport, the airline stated.
The airport previously announced on its website: “Flight operations are currently suspended due to an emergency situation during a flight. Flight XR 456 from Corfu to Nuremberg has since landed safely.”
A spokesperson for the airport did not provide additional information.
During the alert, Eurofighter jets were scrambled to escort the aircraft traveling from Corfu to Germany due to the “aviation emergency situation,” as reported by The Independent.co.uk.
The military aircraft returned to base after the passenger plane landed safely.
Additionally, according to Bild, alleged sightings of drones had already disrupted air traffic at the airport on Monday night into Tuesday, between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM, when three pilots reported an object during takeoff or landing.
German authorities are also on heightened alert following a failed drone attack involving explosives at Leipzig Airport in August, a plot attributed to Russia, which Moscow has denied.
