NATO fighter jets were scrambled to inspect a British Airways flight bound for London after both pilots temporarily lost communication with air traffic control. The incident occurred as flight BA899, an Airbus A321 travelling from Pafos, Cyprus, to London Heathrow, was flying through German airspace.
Pilots out of contact for 30 minutes
The captain and first officer reportedly failed to respond to radio transmissions for approximately 30 minutes. In response, the German military deployed Eurofighter Typhoons to visually inspect the cockpit and confirm there was no security threat onboard, reports The Mirror.
A source told the Sun: "You could hear the conversation between the British Airways pilots and a fighter jet pilot on the emergency frequency."
The source added: "The pilots wanted to avoid the passengers getting worried, and asked the fighter jets to stay behind the plane. But the order of the fighter jets was to inspect the cockpit so he had to fly parallel to the plane."
No threat found
The inspection was successful; no terrorism. The fighter jets stayed with the BA flight to the German border. British Airways confirmed there is no indication of any third-party interference to the journey, which lasted four hours and 20 minutes.
The flight, which was scheduled for 2.30pm local time on Saturday, eventually left Pafos International Airport at 3.41pm and landed in London at 6pm.
BA statement and prior incident
A spokesperson for British Airways told the Mirror: "All of the procedures in place for situations like this were followed. Communication with air traffic control was re-established and the flight continued safely and as planned. We’re looking into the circumstances to understand what happened."
In July, RAF fighter jets were scrambled to escort a Qatar Airways flight bound for Manchester Airport after the aircraft entered British airspace. The RAF said the aircraft was "causing concern to civil authorities", which triggered the "RAF Quick Reaction Alert".
The jets were scrambled after ground controllers lost radio contact with the long-haul flight during its approach. Greater Manchester Police confirmed the aircraft landed safely at Manchester Airport. The report was eventually found to be a hoax, with police saying a 14-year-old boy from the Bolton area, who was not on the flight, was assisting officers with their enquiries.
