False Hijacking Alert on Germany-Bound Flight Triggers Fighter Jet Scramble

A passenger plane flying over European airspace mistakenly sent a hijacking alert to air traffic control, causing multiple fighter jets to scramble.

According to agencies such as the Associated Press, at around 11:00 a.m. on the 13th (local time), a Boeing 737-800 operated by Turkish airline Corendon Airlines—carrying 178 passengers and crew from Corfu, Greece to Nuremberg, Germany—transmitted the emergency code "7500" for an aerial hijacking from its transponder (an automatic radar beacon).*

Following the hijacking report received over Croatian airspace, fighter jets from the Croatian and German air forces scrambled in succession, and the destination airport in Nuremberg was closed for the operation.

Authorities escorted the plane with fighter jets to land at Nuremberg Airport and sent in a police tactical team to verify whether a hijacking or other incident had actually taken place.

The airline explained that the hijacking code was sent by mistake due to a communication system error.

It is not uncommon for air force fighter jets to scramble about once or twice a month to assess the situation of civil aircraft that lose communication in German airspace.

However, authorities were on high alert as the incident came not long after a hijacking attempt by a co-pilot on a flydubai passenger plane bound for Israel.

Earlier that morning, three pilots reported seeing a suspected drone near Nuremberg Airport, prompting a search operation.

Police spokesman Michael Petzoldt said, "The hijacking signal was transmitted directly from the aircraft cockpit," adding, "Afterwards, we could not reach the cockpit, and communication between the cockpit and air traffic control was also cut off, leaving us no choice but to assume the worst-case scenario of an actual hostage situation."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.