GB News came to an abrupt halt on Tuesday (13 October) as presenters Christopher Hope and Emily Carver confirmed that Nuremberg Airport in Germany had suspended flight operations amid an "unclear air emergency".
Police confirm scheduled flight landed safely
"Police say the aircraft involved was a scheduled flight from Corfu, which landed in Nuremberg as planned," Hope told viewers, noting that the aircraft, which touched down safely, did not show any signs of danger. "Investigations into what triggered the alert continue," he added.
"Separately, German media report that a possible drone sighting was what disrupted the air traffic at the airport overnight, after three pilots independently reported seeing an object during takeoff or landing," Carver pointed out. Hope concluded their breaking report by promising to keep GB News viewers updated on the incident.
Viewers react to coverage
Responding to the programme's coverage, one viewer called the report "concerning", while a second declared, "Let's wait and see and pray that everyone involved is safe."
In a separate report from Sky News, the broadcaster stated that fighter jets were deployed earlier in the day to escort the plane involved in the security incident. Shedding further light on the situation, local police released a statement, confirming that the aircraft alerted authorities by sending an emergency "7500" code, which typically signals a "hijacking case".
Corendon Airlines attributes alert to malfunction
After it was determined that the pilot could not be contacted via radio, "various alarm scrambles were then triggered," culminating in an "air emergency". Corendon Airlines has since attributed the alert to a malfunction.
The company noted that the Boeing 737 had sent the code "while in Croatian airspace due to a brief malfunction in the radio communication system". "The situation was immediately monitored, investigations were promptly initiated, and all necessary preparations were made," Corendon told CNN. Operations at Nuremberg Airport have since resumed, following a brief suspension just before 2pm.
