Dublin-bound Ryanair flight makes emergency landing after bomb threat
A Dublin-bound Ryanair flight was on Monday night forced to make an emergency landing in London after a bomb threat was found on board.
Frightened passengers had to temporarily disembark the flight from Krakow to Dublin after a note was found in one of the plane's toilets claiming there were explosives on board the aircraft.
Fighter jets were scrambled to escort the Boeing 737 to its closest airport — London's Stansted — after the Ryanair pilot put out a distress call shortly after 6pm.
UK authorities alerted the RAF, and two Eurofighter Typhoon jets guided the passenger aircraft to Stansted.
The plane landed safely and was taxied to a remote stand at the airport, where police were able to take passengers off the aircraft and make enquiries.
The flight — FR1902 — had been travelling from from Krakow to Dublin.
Essex Police confirmed the plane landed at Stansted at about 6.40pm.
Posting on Twitter, Essex Police said: "A flight from Krakow to Dublin was diverted to Stansted Airport at around 6.40pm on Monday 13 July due to reports of a security alert."
In a statement, Ryanair said: “A Ryanair flight from Krakow to Dublin this evening discovered a note in one of the toilets claiming that there were explosives on board.
“The captain followed procedure by alerting the UK authorities and diverted to the nearest airport (Stansted) where the plane landed normally but was taxied to a remote stand where passengers disembarked safely.
“The aircraft and passengers are being checked by the UK police who will decide when they may travel onwards to Dublin on a spare aircraft.
“Passengers in Dublin waiting to depart to Krakow are being transferred to a spare aircraft to minimise any delay to their flight.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the UK Royal Air Force said: “Typhoon fighter aircraft from RAF Coningsby were launched this evening to intercept a civilian aircraft. The aircraft was escorted safely to Stansted and our aircraft have returned to base.”
