An EASYJET flight was surrounded by armed police at a Spanish airport – after the pilot allegedly accidentally activated a hijack alert.
Around 20 members of the National Police and Civil Guard gathered on the plane as it arrived at Palma Airport in Mallorca this afternoon from Birmingham.
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Officers were called to Palma Airport in Majorca after the pilot is believed to have accidentally activated a hijack alert Credit: Solarpix
Some officers pointed their weapons at the plane before speaking to the pilot through the open cockpit window.
Police were called off after the hijacking report was determined to be the result of human error, although the plane was thoroughly searched before passengers were allowed to disembark.
The easyJet plane had previously been diverted from the landing area after an alarm was sounded at 1pm moments before it arrived in Majorca.
Although it is unclear how the alarm was raised, it is believed that pilots can ‘quietly’ notify air traffic control of a potential hijack by transmitting a four-digit ‘unlawful jamming’ code.
“EasyJet can confirm that flight EJU7254 from Birmingham to Palma on 26 October was met by emergency services on arrival at Palma as a precautionary measure only,” the company said in a statement.
“The safety and security of its passengers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority.”
It came after a BA flight was forced to return to Heathrow just hours after a “minor technical problem”.
Flight BA219 performed a U-turn after a reported hydraulic failure, requiring a long approach to Heathrow.
Meanwhile, passengers were taken ill when “unknown fumes” filled a British Airways flight – and customers were rushed off the plane at Heathrow.
Emergency services rushed to the Terminal 5 runway after the plane arrived from Barcelona earlier at around 4.15pm on October 8.
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education