Ryanair flight FR1902 has been forced to make an emergency landing at London Stansted airport by two RAF Typhoon fighter jets.
In a statement to Travel Radar, a spokesperson for the airline said:
“A Ryanair flight from Krakow to Dublin this evening (13 JUL) discovered a note in one of the toilets claiming that there were explosives on board.
The captain followed procedure by alerting the UK authorities and diverted to the nearest airport (Stansted) where the plane landed normally but was taxied to a remote stand where passengers disembarked safely.
The aircraft and passengers are being checked by the UK police who will decide when they may travel onwards to Dublin on a spare aircraft. Passengers in Dublin waiting to depart to Krakow are being transferred to a spare aircraft to minimise any delay to their flight.
Ryanair apologises sincerely for the delay and inconvenience caused to those affected by this diversion”.
The RAF Typhoons more than likely launched from RAF Coningsby; this is one of two Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) bases in the UK allowing the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft to reach any part of UK Airspace within 2minutes of a call thanks to a top speed of over 1500mph.
The Ryanair flight was then escorted into Stansted airport. Stansted is one of the UK’s designated airports for emergencies such as these due to its secure holding area and 360° stands accessible to law enforcement and, if needed, military officials.
Update (15/07/20): We received reports of confusing ambiguity on the speed of the Typhoon we reported in a previous version of this article; Our Editorial Team have remedied the phrasing to ensure clarity.
