Communication Problem Triggers Hijack Scare

Police surrounded Jet2 aircraft at landing in Majorca, fearing a hijacking took place while airborne.

Passengers aboard a Jet2 flight landing at Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI) on the Spanish island of Majorca were greeted by police after a miscommunication led officials to believe a hijacking took place mid-air. The Daily Mail reported the aircraft was held after landing until police could confirm there was no hijacking on the aircraft.

According to The Daily Mail, the situation began when pilots had difficulty communicating with air traffic controllers at the Spanish airport. As a result, pilots utilized a channel normally restricted for hijackings. The Aviation Herald reports air traffic controllers asked if the pilots intentionally utilized the channel, to which they responded positively. Officials at PMI then initiated the hijacking response.

Security officials came together to call an emergency “crisis cabinet” meeting in order to determine how to address the situation. Ultimately, the aircraft was allowed to land at PMI but was met by a standard police response, who believed the flight was taken over.

During the supposed standoff, police would not allow passengers to disembark from the aircraft. After the flight captain spoke to police to clear up the situation, the flight was allowed to the gate. Passengers were then allowed to leave the aircraft without further incident.

The situation only affected the Jet2 flight, as normal airport operations continued. Jet2 did not provide an immediate comment to The Daily Mail. The aircraft was ultimately grounded for six hours, creating a three-hour flight delay for the aircraft’s return trip back to East Midlands Airport (EMA) in the United Kingdom.

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