German authorities closed Albrecht Dürer Airport in Nuremberg and dispatched fighter jets after Corendon Airlines flight XR456 inadvertently transmitted a hijack squawk code 7500 while flying over Croatia. The airline said the alert was caused by a brief malfunction in the radio communication system and that no emergency situation occurred. The 178 passengers and crew were never in danger, and the Boeing 737-800 landed safely in Nuremberg.
Police reported that air traffic controllers were unable to contact the cockpit after the squawk was sent, leading them to assume the worst. A Rafale fighter jet was scrambled from Croatia, and German military warplanes were also launched. Police spokesman Michael Petzold said authorities received a code suggesting a hijacking and, unable to reach the cockpit, had to treat it as a potential hijacking.
The false alarm forced six flights to be delayed and two inbound flights to be diverted. The incident occurred on the same day that pilots at Nuremberg airport reported suspected drone sightings, causing brief flight disruptions. European authorities have increased surveillance in recent weeks following a series of drone incidents and concerns over Russian hybrid warfare, as well as the September 30 attack on a Flydubai flight by a copilot who authorities say was on a suicide mission to crash the plane in Israel.