Easyjet flight: plane heading to Palma from Birmingham Airport swarmed by police after pilot ‘activates hijack alarm’

An easyJet plane heading to Palma from Birmingham Airport was swarmed by armed police after the pilot accidentally activated a hijack alert. The incident occurred on Thursday (26 October) with dramatic scenes unfolding at Majorca’s Palma Airport.

Around 20 Civil Guard and National Police officers were deployed in an emergency response as the easyJet plane from Birmingham prepared to touch down shortly before 1pm local time. According to the Daily Mail, some of the police are said to have pointed their guns at the aircraft after it landed. Other police officers are said to have approached the plane and spoke to the pilot from a “safe distance” through an open cockpit window.

A search of the aircraft took place as a precaution before passengers on board were allowed to disembark. Police were stood down after it was discovered the hijack alert was caused by human error.

A spokesperson for easyJet said: “easyJet can confirm that flight EJU7254 from Birmingham to Palma on 26 October was met by emergency services on arrival at Palma as a precaution only. The safety and security of its passengers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority.” The return flight was allowed to depart after running around 90 minutes late, Aviation Source News claimed.

It is not clear how the hijack alert was activated, however pilots are believed to be able to "silently" inform air traffic control of a potential hijack. They do this by transmitting a four-digit "unlawful interference" code. That in turn leads to the mobilisation of security forces as part of an emergency response protocol.

It comes after passengers were taken off a British Airways plane on Sunday 8 October after “fumes” filled the flight. Emergency services rushed to Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport after the plane, coming from Barcelona, landed at around 4.15pm. According to reports, four travellers had fallen ill on the flight from the unknown “fumes” and were “told to strip” after they became unwell. Passengers posted pictures and videos of the scene on social media which showed a number of fire engines and police cars on the runway. Other images showed firemen entering the plane wearing breathing apparatus.