RAF Typhoon scrambled to escort plane.

merlin · 24 May 2013 at 14:46

kwerk said:
Unless the hijackers landed it after killing the pilot and now they are holding everyone at gun point with porcelain Glock 7s they smuggled through the metal detectors.

Step away from the WASD + LMB.

Gilly · 24 May 2013 at 14:46

Gaygle said:
Kwerk. That is all.

Yeah, I realised after quoting who it was I was reading

Yaayuh! · 24 May 2013 at 14:47

We don't know what the incident was: fighter jets are scrambled when there is a bomb threat, when there is a hijack, when the wrong transponder code is used or if an aircraft cannot communicate with the ground. Often the result is when there is an unruly passenger on board.

"What is interesting in this case is that it would appear that the aircraft was only 10 minutes from landing - these are initial reports coming in - when they decided to divert to Stansted. So to actually change a destination 10 minutes from landing would certainly imply that there was some serious incident taking place."

Pestilence · 24 May 2013 at 14:51

Someone dropped an SBD right in the aisle.

Third Opinion · 24 May 2013 at 14:51

They also took a flight path over the Wash seemingly to avoid populated areas.

dave_beast · 24 May 2013 at 14:53

So to actually change a destination 10 minutes from landing would certainly imply that there was some serious incident taking place

Which would suggest a bomb threat or attempted hijack as Stanstead is the go to AP for dealing with those situations.

BigChief · 24 May 2013 at 14:54

More craziness in the UK. sigh.

DanielMMS · 24 May 2013 at 14:55

Two men arrested for endangering an aircraft apparently.

Third Opinion · 24 May 2013 at 14:56

DanielMMS said:
Two men arrested for endangering an aircraft apparently.

They may have simply had a ruck onboard or something as serious as trying to gain access to the cockpit.

dave_beast · 24 May 2013 at 14:57

Christian extremists probably

Antar Bolaeisk · 24 May 2013 at 14:57

Noxia said:
Someone probably spilt a drink which has been blown out of all proportion into a major incident.

Shush! Don't say that in a plane thread!

inogen · 24 May 2013 at 14:58

It's not big news that fighters are scrambled is it? Sort of thing that happens every month or so.

Seems to me it's only being mentioned because it's come from Pakistan. Just people being sensible and routine and it's become a news story.

Just been watching news24 whilst having a cuppa. The two newsreaders had no idea we have Typhoons ready to go 24/7. They looked shocked at the idea and where asking "how long has this been a policy? Is it since 9/11?".

Hysteria.

Robbo · 24 May 2013 at 14:59

dave_beast said:
Christian extremists probably

From Pakistan?

DanielMMS · 24 May 2013 at 14:59

Third Opinion said:
They may have simply had a ruck onboard or something as serious as trying to gain access to the cockpit.

Most likely just a couple of inebriants. Although diverting so close to landing is a little unusual. Even more unusual is the number of people of Twitter who cannot spell Stansted.

platypus · 24 May 2013 at 15:01

inogen said:
It's not big news that fighters are scrambled is it? Sort of thing that happens every month or so.

Seems to me it's only being mentioned because it's come from Pakistan. Just people being sensible and routine and it's become a news story.

Well Stansted is the UK airport on standby to receive all hijacked/terrorist threatened planes I believe, so it could be worse than simply because its from Pakistan.

Gilly · 24 May 2013 at 15:02

inogen said:
It's not big news that fighters are scrambled is it? Sort of thing that happens every month or so.

Really?

I knew we had them on standby, I had no idea we scrambled them and redirected flights 10 mins from terminating to other airports every month :/

inogen · 24 May 2013 at 15:04

platypus said:
Well Stansted is the UK airport on standby to receive all hijacked/terrorist threatened planes I believe, so it could be worse than simply because its from Pakistan.

Yes, it could. But more likely it's a non-terrorist disturbance which, due it it being a plane from Pakistan, is being treated sensibly and with kid gloves.

Whilst the media go wild cos it could be and talking about stuff they know nothing about as though it's newsworthy.

inogen · 24 May 2013 at 15:06

Gilly said:
Really?

I knew we had them on standby, I had no idea we scrambled them and redirected flights 10 mins from terminating to other airports every month :/

Flights are often redirected. The typhoons are often scrambled. The fact that both have happened maybe only be due to the plane being from Pakistan.

The same incident on a flight from Canada may not have resulted in the Typhoons and therefore not the news story.

Yaayuh! · 24 May 2013 at 15:06

Two people are arrested after RAF Typhoon jets were launched to investigate an incident involving a passenger plane from Pakistan within UK airspace.

Two men are being held on suspicion of endangerment of an aircraft, Essex Police said.

Minstadave · 24 May 2013 at 15:06

They're quite regular scrambled to chase frisky russian military jets up north aren't they?