A communication error between the pilot of a Vueling passenger plane and Schipol airport control tower led the Netherlands government to mistakenly believe it was hijacked.
The plane carrying 180 passengers, was forced to land at the Schipol airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands, by two F-16 fighter jets from the Dutch defence ministry which were deployed to escort it down.
The plane which took off from Malaga, Spain, briefly lost communication with the control tower forcing authorities to raise an alarm.
The plane was landed in a secluded area of the airport and immediately boarded by security agents who later discovered it was a false alarm.
The reason for the loss of communication is not known yet.
The Dutch police had said they believed it was a hostage situation.
“There was never any danger. There was a lack of communication between the pilot and the tower and the airport has activated the security protocol,” a spokeswoman for Spanish carrier Vueling told Reuters news agency.
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