started · updated
Nuremberg Airport temporarily closed after false hijacking alert
Nuremberg Airport suspended flight operations on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, following a false hijacking alert from a Corendon Airlines Boeing 737-800. The aircraft, flying from Corfu, Greece, transmitted transponder code 7500, which indicates a hijacking in progress.
German Eurofighter Typhoon jets intercepted and escorted the plane through German airspace, while a Croatian Rafale fighter jet also responded after the signal was sent while the aircraft was over Croatia. Authorities were unable to establish radio contact with the cockpit following the alert, prompting a high-level security response including special police units.
The aircraft landed safely at approximately 12:16 PM. Corendon Airlines and police investigations suggest the emergency code was triggered by a radio communication system malfunction or a pilot error, where the crew intended to report a radio failure (code 7600) but inadvertently entered the hijacking code (7500). No passengers or crew members were in danger.
Entities
Boeing 737 · Boeing 737-800 · Corendon Airlines · Corfu · Croatia · Eurofighter · Eurofighter Typhoon · German Air Force · German police · Luftwaffe · NATO · Nuremberg Airport
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 34 SOURCES] Police reported a suspected, unconfirmed aerial emergency at Nuremberg Airport. www.harzkurier.de · www.nrz.de · www.wp.de · www.origo.hu · dalmatinskiportal.hr · +25 more
- [● 28 SOURCES] A Corendon Airlines flight (XR456) from Corfu landed safely at approximately 12:16 PM. www.origo.hu · dalmatinskiportal.hr · www.harzkurier.de · www.rd.nl · www.negocios.com · +19 more
- [● 28 SOURCES] Nuremberg Airport suspended flight operations due to the aerial emergency. www.origo.hu · dalmatinskiportal.hr · www.harzkurier.de · www.rd.nl · www.negocios.com · +19 more
- [● 27 SOURCES] Three pilots independently reported seeing a suspected drone between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM. news.az · www.harzkurier.de · www.nrz.de · www.wp.de · www.origo.hu · +17 more
- [DISPUTED] Eurofighter jets escorted the incoming flight from Corfu before its landing. www.harzkurier.de · www.nrz.de · www.wp.de · www.origo.hu · dalmatinskiportal.hr · +25 more
- [● 25 SOURCES] A search for the reported object involving a police helicopter was unsuccessful. news.az · www.harzkurier.de · www.nrz.de · www.wp.de · www.origo.hu · +15 more
- [● 16 SOURCES] The aircraft transmitted transponder code 7500, indicating a hijacking. www.perthnow.com.au · www.delo.si · extra.ie · bosnainfo.ba · www.maltanewsagency.com · +11 more
- [● 13 SOURCES] Corendon Airlines attributed the emergency code to a radio communication system malfunction. fatoamazonico.com.br · www.rd.nl · www.perthnow.com.au · www.maltanewsagency.com · www.seznamzpravy.cz · +8 more