Military fighter jets were scrambled to escort a Turkish Airlines passenger plane to Barcelona after the pilot raised concerns about a possible device on board. The Airbus A321, operating flight TK1853 from Istanbul, landed at Barcelona-El Prat Airport on Tuesday morning following reports of a suspected terrorist threat.
The aircraft, carrying 148 passengers and seven crew, was accompanied by military aircraft after a threat was detected over the Mediterranean Sea in Italian territory at around 10am. Spanish and French armed forces were involved in the operation, which saw the plane circle several times before touching down on runway two at approximately 11am.
After landing, the aircraft was moved to a safe area, where officers from the Civil Guard boarded the plane as emergency services rushed to the scene. All luggage was subsequently checked, with no explosives discovered so far, according to reports. The incident triggered a general alert and activated the airport's crisis committee, although normal operations at El Prat were not disrupted.
Sources familiar with airport security protocols indicated that the response was standard procedure and that, based on the information available at this time, the alert is believed to have been a false alarm. Passengers were moved to a contingency room in the airside section of the airport while efforts were made to notify their families.
