BA plane diverted after 'specific threat'
A London-bound British Airways passenger jet was being searched today after diverting to Amsterdam airport following “a specific threat” being made to the aircraft.
As emergency services stood by on the ground, two Dutch F-16 fighter planes escorted the Airbus A319 plane, with 118 passengers and six crew aboard, into Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport just before 1pm UK time.
Passengers, who were flying from Berlin’s Tegel airport, were able to disembark normally and were bussed to a special area within Schiphol’s main terminal while Dutch military police searched the aircraft.
It was thought the threat was made to a German television station whose staff passed the warning on to the German authorities.
A BA spokesman in London said: “There was a specific threat to the airline but we are not releasing details of exactly what it was.”
The incident follows repeated threats some months ago to specific BA London to Washington flights – some of which were cancelled and others badly delayed.
In the last few days, two Athens to New York Olympic Airways’ flights were diverted to British Isles airports after two separate Athens newspapers received bomb warnings.
The first of the planes landed at Stansted airport in Essex and the other at Shannon in Ireland.
Both were able to fly on to the US eventually after searches of the aircraft revealed nothing.
