A Jet2 flight from Dalaman, Turkey, to Manchester was diverted to Stansted Airport on Wednesday evening following a security threat, prompting armed police to surround the aircraft. The plane, carrying passengers including Andrea Aspinwall from north Wales, was escorted by two RAF Typhoon jets before landing safely at London Stansted.
Passengers reported a tense atmosphere as the aircraft circled for an extended period. Andrea Aspinwall described the moment she realised something was wrong: 'We thought we were near Manchester but then the plane kept circling. The pilot had said we would be landing soon and all the staff were in their seats.' She said the toilets were locked and passengers were told to stay seated before the plane landed and taxied to a remote stand.
'When we actually landed on this strip with nothing there, we were taken to a red point. The air hostesses couldn't tell us what was going on. We were sat there and then we saw all these armed police driving up. We were terrified. Police had their guns pointing at the plane,' Aspinwall told the Manchester Evening News. She added that passengers were told to 'sit calm' but that 'everyone started panicking'.
The plane remained stationary for around two hours. Aspinwall said the pilot eventually left the cockpit and apologised, explaining they were instructed to land as soon as possible. After disembarking, passengers faced confusion and delays, with Aspinwall noting that Jet2 staff initially seemed unsure how to handle the situation. She was eventually placed in a hotel at 4.30am.
The RAF confirmed that two quick reaction alert Typhoon aircraft from RAF Coningsby were involved in intercepting the civilian aircraft. Jet2 stated that the diversion was at the request of UK authorities due to a 'potential security concern', though the exact nature was not specified. Stansted Airport confirmed the runway was closed briefly but has since reopened.
