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3 clusters · 100 sources · 3 days · First seen · Last updated

Corendon Airlines hijacking signal incident

Overview

On October 13, 2026, a Corendon Airlines Boeing 737-800 traveling from Corfu, Greece, to Nuremberg, Germany, triggered an international aviation security response after transmitting transponder code 7500, the signal for a hijacking or unlawful seizure of control.

The aircraft, carrying 177 passengers and six crew members, was intercepted by Croatian Rafale fighter jets over the Korenica region at 11:02 local time following orders from NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre in Torrejón. After establishing radio contact, Croatian pilots escorted the plane through Croatian and Slovenian airspace. The aircraft was subsequently tracked by Austrian and German Eurofighter Typhoons until it landed safely at Nuremberg Airport at approximately 12:16 PM.

During the incident, Nuremberg Airport temporarily suspended all flight operations and implemented security cordons as a precaution. Following security inspections, authorities confirmed there was no actual threat. Corendon Airlines and Croatian officials attributed the emergency signal to a technical malfunction in the aircraft’s radio communication systems, which also caused a loss of contact with air traffic control. Croatian Minister of Defense Ivan Anušić stated that the incident may have been caused by a “rare failure in both the primary and backup radio communication systems,” suggesting the signal was activated by mistake.

Investigations by German police and airline officials suggest the alert may have resulted from pilot error, specifically that the pilot may have intended to enter code 7600 to signal a radio failure but mistakenly entered 7500. This incident occurred on the same day that Nuremberg Airport reported separate disruptions resulting from independent reports by three pilots regarding a possible drone sighting earlier that morning.

Entities

Nuremberg Airport · Corendon Airlines · Boeing 737-800 · NATO · Corfu

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Coverage disagrees

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Timeline

  1. [INTERNATIONAL] 3 sources
    Corendon Airlines flight triggers false hijacking alarm in Nuremberg

    A Corendon Airlines flight from Corfu triggered a false hijacking alarm in Nuremberg due to a radio failure and an incorrect transponder code, leading to military escorts and a temporary airport closure.

  2. [INTERNATIONAL] 81 sources
    Nuremberg Airport temporarily closed after false hijacking alert

    Nuremberg Airport briefly closed after a Corendon Airlines flight issued a false hijacking alert due to a radio malfunction. Fighter jets escorted the plane to a safe landing.

  3. [INTERNATIONAL] 17 sources
    Corendon Airlines Boeing 737 intercepted by NATO jets after hijacking signal error

    A Corendon Airlines Boeing 737 triggered a NATO-led interception by Croatian Rafale jets after mistakenly emitting a hijacking signal (code 7500). The flight landed safely in Germany following a radio error.

Sources

acnews.hu · adevarul.ro · agerpres.ro · airdatanews.com · airway.com.br · augsburger-allgemeine.de · avioblog.it · bbv-net.de · bild.de · bosnainfo.ba · bug.hr · cash.ch · communitynews.com.au · dalmatinskiportal.hr · dattelner-morgenpost.de · dcnews.ro · delo.si · demokrata.hu · depo.ba · dnevno.hr · emtempo.com.br · espreso.co.rs · eventbrite.co.uk · expres.mk · extra.ie · fakti.bg · fatoamazonico.com.br · fenix-magazin.de · finanzen.at · finanzen.net · finanznachrichten.de · fvw.de · glasistre.hr · griechenland.net · haitigazette.com · harzkurier.de · hellwegeranzeiger.de · hna.de · hosteltur.com · hrvatska-danas.com · index.hr · it-boltwise.de · komercnespravy.pravda.sk · konhaber.com · krdo.com · kreiszeitung.de · kurier.at · kurir.rs

This summary has been updated 5 times: see revision history