Germany Scrambles Jets After False Hijack Alert

A passenger flight from the Greek island of Corfu to Nuremberg, Germany, landed safely on Tuesday after a cockpit hijack alert prompted the German air force to scramble two Eurofighter jets. German police said the hijack code 7500 was transmitted and radio contact with the pilot was lost, triggering security procedures.

Turkey-based Corendon Airlines attributed the incident to a brief malfunction in the aircraft’s radio communication system while it was in Croatian airspace. The airline confirmed that no emergency occurred and that passengers, crew and the aircraft were never in danger. The incident briefly disrupted operations at Nuremberg Airport, but flights later returned to normal.

The incident comes amid heightened security concerns at German airports following a possible drone sighting near Nuremberg Airport and a reported drone-related security incident in Germany in August. The German air force maintains rapid-response fighter jet teams to investigate situations involving lost communication with civilian aircraft.

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