Bomb threats onboard and fighter jets outside ‒ Ryanair FR1902 flight passengers had quite a journey on July 13, 2020.
Ryanair flight FR1902 took off from Krakow John Paul II International Airport (KRK), Poland. The Boeing 737 aircraft, registered as SP-RSQ, was heading towards Dublin Airport (DUB), Ireland. As it was flying over Norfolk, England, the pilots declared an emergency.
The flight FR1902 diverted to London Stansted Airport (STN), to where the airliner was escorted by two Royal Air Force fighter jets. After making a successful landing, the aircraft was taxied to a remote stand, away from the terminal area, and searched by local law enforcement.
The reaction was prompted by reports of a security alert, Essex police revealed later in the day. A note, claiming there were explosives on the plane, was left in one of the aircraft’s lavatories, local media reported.
The police said it searched the plane but found nothing suspicious. Nevertheless, it arrested two men (ages 26 and 47) for making threats to endanger an aircraft.
This is not the first time bomb hoaxes prompt Ryanair to adjust its flight plans. Back in October 2017, the airline’s jet flying from Kaunas, Lithuania, to Luton, UK, also got an entourage by RAF Typhoon fighter jets following a bomb hoax. At that time, the plane also diverted to and landed in Stansted Airport.