How a radio glitch triggered a false hijack alert in Germany

What the report says

German authorities briefly shut down operations at Nuremberg’s Albrecht Dürer Airport and scrambled fighter jets on Tuesday after a Corendon Airlines passenger flight from Corfu, Greece, to Nuremberg sent a hijack alert while flying over Croatia. According to Al Jazeera, the aircraft transmitted squawk code 7500, which signals a possible hijacking, but the airline later said the message was caused by a short malfunction in the radio communication system.

Police said they could not immediately reach the cockpit by radio, which led officials in Germany and other European countries to treat the situation as a serious security threat. A Rafale jet from Croatia and German military aircraft were dispatched, while airport police cordoned off the terminal area as a precaution. The plane, a Boeing 737-800 carrying 178 passengers, crew and aircraft, landed safely and no emergency was found.

The false alarm disrupted travel, with six flights delayed and two inbound flights diverted, airport officials said. Al Jazeera noted that the incident came amid heightened concern in Europe over aviation security and recent drone-related disruptions. It also reflected how rare radio or transponder errors can quickly trigger major responses when pilots cannot be contacted and controllers must assume the worst until the situation is clarified.