A Ryanair Boeing 737 on its way from Krakow to Dublin was diverted earlier this evening to Stansted Airport following a threat of explosives on board. It was escorted by two Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets but landed without incident and passengers disembarked safely.
Bomb note in the lavatory
Flight FR1902 took off from Krakow Airport at 17:40 this afternoon, headed for Dublin. However, en route to its intended destination, a distress call was issued. The plane was then redirected to Stansted, which is the designated airport in the UK for security incidents.
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Ryanair has confirmed the pilots made the distress call when a note was discovered in one of the lavatories claiming that there were explosives on board the plane. The aircraft's redirection and following descent were accompanied by two RAF Eurofighter Typhoon jets. It landed at Stansted Airport at 18:45.
The plane touched down without incident and taxied to a remote stand allocated for security alerts. Passengers were able to disembark safely. However, there have been reports of armed police, ambulances, and other emergency services present at the scene, which is not surprising given the nature of the threat.
It is still unclear whether or not any explosives were actually found on the aircraft, or if the note was an empty threat. Either way, whoever wrote it will be in some serious trouble.
Aircraft and passengers being checked
A spokesperson for the airline confirmed the reason for the diversion. They further stated that the pilot had followed protocol for such an incident, and shared the following statement with Simple Flying,
"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.
“Ryanair apologises sincerely for the delay and inconvenience caused to those affected by this diversion".
The aircraft in question is registered SP-RSQ (formerly known as EI-FZA). Ryanair transferred the jet first to its Ryanair Sun brand in 2019, which has since been rebranded as Buzz. The Warsaw-based airline operates scheduled flights for its parent company and chartered flights in its own right.
Typhoon jets in the RAF
The Eurofighter Typhoon jets belong to the RAF's Quick Reaction Alert crew. The unit is tasked with protecting UK airspace and can be called in at a moment's notice to intercept any aircraft for any reason.
Eurofighter markets the Typhoon as the "world's most advanced fighter aircraft." It is built out of composite materials, is 15,96m long and has a wingspan of 10.95m. It has a max altitude of above 55,000 feet, and a thrust of 90kN from two EUROJET EJ200 turbofan engines that can take it to Mach 2 speed. The RAF has 142 in its fleet.
The two Typhoons in question were scrambled from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, and have reportedly already returned to their base.
Simple Flying will return with more on this story as soon as further details emerge.