Greek F-16 fighter jets were mobilized to intercept a plane purported to be carrying a bomb. The plane in question was a Boeing 737 belonging to Ryan Air which headed from Poland to Athens International Airport, Eleftherios Venizelos, located just 20 kilometers from the Greek capital.
The plane made a safe landing at the airport and all 190 passengers and crew on board were escorted safely away from the aircraft.
A specialist explosives unit from the police then searched the plane but did not find an explosive device.
Alleged bomb threat heading toward Eleftherios Venizelos Airport
The Ryanair flight designated SR6385 was alerted to the bomb threat by Skopje Flight Information Region. It set off from Katowice in Poland and with its final destination set for Athens. The alert was either phoned in or sent over the net.
Hungarian fighter jets were quickly mobilized to intercept and monitor the plane. When it neared Greek airspace, two Greek F-16s from the 330 Squadron in Aghialos were scrambled to take over.
The Greek F-16s escorted the plane away from densely populated civilian areas until it was able to safely land at the airport around 5:40 p.m. local time. The aircraft was directed to an isolated part of the airport where it could not pose a threat to others.
After the aircraft landed, a police team with expertise in explosives searched the plane but “did not find anything suspicious.” The passengers and crew were searched and escorted to a safe place away from the plane. The luggage was also searched.
Firefighters stood on standby near the plane, ready to intervene, in case the bomb threat was legitimate.
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“All people are well and safe,” said Elena Dimopoulou, a representative for the airport in Athens.
Ryanair also issued a statement. “Crew onboard flight FR6385 traveling from Katowice to Athens were notified of a potential security threat onboard and in line with safety procedures, continued to Athens where it landed safely before being met by the Greek authorities,” the statement read.
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