Eurofighter jets escort flight from Corfu to Nuremberg
A Corendon Airlines Europe Boeing 737-800, registration 9H-CXD, operating the Corfu–Nuremberg flight, which prompted a response from the German Air Force. Photo: Oyoyoy - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
CORFU. Alarm over suspected hijacking – The aircraft landed safely, and the airport temporarily suspended operations.
An alarm was raised in Germany on Tuesday, 13 October, when a Corendon Airlines Europe Boeing 737-800, which had departed from Corfu bound for Nuremberg, issued an emergency signal.
According to German media reports, code 7500, indicating a possible hijacking, was activated on flight XR456. Two Eurofighter jets from the German Air Force were scrambled and escorted the passenger aircraft until it landed in Nuremberg at 12:16 local time.
The airport temporarily suspended flight operations, while police carried out checks and found no threat. All passengers and crew were safe.
The authorities are investigating what triggered the alarm. No hijacking attempt has been confirmed, nor has any link been established with reports of suspicious drones in the airport area. According to a statement by Corendon Airlines, the alarm was triggered by a malfunction in the radio communication system while the aircraft was flying over Croatia.
GIORGOS KATSAITIS
