E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSA passenger plane believed to be under the threat of a hijacking is escorted to Amsterdam where the incident was dismissed as a 'communication problem.' NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
Updated 10:10 a.m. ET: Miscommunication between a Spanish airline pilot and Dutch air traffic controllers caused a hijack scare on Wednesday that led the Netherlands to send F-16 fighters to intercept a plane.
"There was never any danger. There was a lack of communication between the pilot and the tower and the airport has activated the security protocol," a spokeswoman for Spanish carrier Vueling said.
The nature of the miscommunication was not immediately clear.
Dutch police said the security alert was triggered when radio contact with the plane was lost, Dutch news agency ANP reported.
The plane, which was flying from Malaga in Spain to Amsterdam with about 180 passengers on board, was surrounded by Dutch security forces on landing at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. Police then boarded and searched the aircraft.
The Dutch Defence Ministry had sent two F-16 fighters to intercept the airplane after suspecting a hijacking, a Dutch military police spokesman told Reuters.
Robin Van Lonkhuijsen/Reuters
Passengers leave a Vueling plane which is parked at a field near Amsterdam Airport after a hijack scare Wednesday.
A passenger on board the plane said nothing unusual was happening, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported, quoting the passenger.
"In fact nothing was going on. We had to fly a few rounds. We are now waiting in the plane, the doors are still closed. But there is no hijack," NOS quoted the person as saying.
Airport staff said it was not clear when passengers would be allowed to disembark, and directed friends and relatives who were waiting at the arrivals hall to the information desk.
Reuters contributed to this report
More world stories from NBC News:
- 'Superhuman' athletes burst onto world stage
- Red Cross halts most Pakistan aid in wake of beheading
- Unexploded WWII bomb disrupts Amsterdam airport
- Pakistani Christians live in fear after girl's blasphemy arrest
- 'A less polar pole': Arctic sea ice at record low
- Botched restoration turns Spanish church into tourist attraction
Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook
Leave a Comment:
So then why do you folks waste web space until something is confirmed?
So that you'll waste the time to post a comment.
Hmm, could this be another False Flag like 9/11 where they blame it on Al-Quaeda?
I was already in here, that's my point. I click the link to read that it was a misunderstanding and its not news.
And in further news today; aliens have invaded the earth.
Update: Aliens have not invaded the earth.
Let's not waste time and use this as another exsucse to give the TSA more invasive powers over our rapidly fading privacy. Rember, a scared populace is a submissive populace.
What were all the passengers served?
Well they had a choice of Fish or Steak
Yes, I remember I had the lasagna.
Pilot: With pepperjack cheese.
News media: They hijacked the plane???
Pilot: NO! I said pepperjack cheese!
News media: oh...
Note to flight attendants: When entering the cabin, never say hello to a pilot named Jack while he is on the radio.
that was just "plane"stupid of them :P
Roger, Roger. What's your vector, Victor?
Surely you cant be serious.
Yes, I am. And stop calling me Shirley.
I just wanted to tell you both good luck. We're all counting on you.
We have clearance, Clarence.
There's a problem in the cockpit.
The cockpit, what is it?
Over Macho Grande?
I don't think I'll ever get over Macho Grande
just remember, if you are in line to board a airliner, and you see your old friend JACK in line, do not, say HI Jack.
He picked a bad day to quit sniffing glue.
Would you gentleman care to order your dinners?
Bet babe, slide a piece of the porter, drink side run the java.
Lookie here, I can dig grease n chompin on some butter and draggin thru the garden
I can speak jive said June Cleaver
yep, we are going to start blaming al-quaeda for poor communications
(rolls eyes)
Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?
lmao...Thanks for the "airplane" quotes!
Captain, how soon can you land this plane?
I can't tell
You can tell me I'm a doctor
No I mean I'm just not sure
Well can you take a guess?
Well,, not for another two hours
You can't take a guess for another two hours?
What kind of plane is it?
Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big Tylenol.
Is it going to hit a building now?
not unless the miscommunication was the pilot telling traffic control he was high on jack daniels
in which case it would be the pilots fault anyways
Its Romneys fault. That is all.
I was right, it was Romneys fault. Miscommunication is his thing.
You mean like Obamas lies are gospel???
Obama 2012 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, is it high jacked or isn’t it?! It can’t be a little
bit high jacked it either is or isn’t.
The Spanish Vureling.com Airbus A320 with 183 passengers onboard (From Malaga to Schiphol Airport) was not hijacked. The miscommunication (=non commmunication) on part of the Spanish pilot not to answer the airport tower (aircontroller) led to the assumption that the plane hijacked with passengers onboard. The military police at the airport-as part of Def.Min. counter-terrorism NCBT- followed protocol by dispatching 2-F16 fighterjets to escort the plane to Schiphol-landing in remote area and inspecting the plane.Read upto the minute happenings in Amsterdam in dutchnews.nl or De Telegraaf.nl
Apparently one of the ground personnel, Jack, is an old friend of the pilot who, upon recognizing his pal waiving the plane in towards the terminal, cracked open a window, waved and shouted...
ha!
Good one.
I did not hear anyone say "hi" to me.
cnn has that a wwII bomb has been found at the same airport, and they just want the bomb squad to "dispose" of it safely. so someone is trying to turn a ant hill into a mountain of a story
The real joke is USC is the pre-season anointed Number 1 Football team which is amazing since they again have such a weak schedule. Must be the Cheerleaders.
didnt found anything on euro news yet
Here is Barack Obama's Main Accomplishments
Barack Obama's Main Accomplishments:
Signed the National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA) Bill into Law allowing any US citizen to Be Detained WITHOUT trial (A federal Court Blocked it in May because it Violates the Constitution, but Obama is not trying to get it UNBLOCKED!).
He has Killed HUNDREDS of Innocent people (Including 3 American Citizens) in Pakistan and Yemen with Drone Strikes (He’s Ordered even more drone strikes than Bush!).
The rate of National Debt under George Bush was Around $60 Billion a Month. Under Obama, it’s been $190 Billion a Month, so that would be Nearly $600 Per US Citizen (Thanks Obama!).
Obama Care: Page 22. MANDATES, The Government will Audit Book of ALL Employers who Self Insure. Page 50, Section 152, Health Care WILL be Provided to ALL Non US Citizens, Illegal or otherwise. Page 126, Lines 22-25, Employers Must Pay for Their Part time Employees Health Care AND Their Families. Page 127, Lines 1-16, The Government WILL Tell you How much Money you can Make.
Obama has By-passed Congress to Enable the DREAM Act (Unconstitutional to By-Pass Congress, and the Illegals he allowed to become Legal Citizens has Committed over 19 Murders and Over 142 Sex crimes).
Obama Claims he Campaigned in 57 States (Maybe he wasn’t Born in this Country?).
I remember reading this exact article and comments about 2 weeks ago...
In other words: this is non-news.
How about Iran admitting to sending troops to Syria? You don't see that being showcased on the front page.
Today's top story: "Nothing Happened"
Details will be updated as no more information comes in.
If nothing happened, we'd all be dead and there would be nobody to read about it :)
You just described our Congress.
They are stuck in a void of "nothing"
I think they broke the egg on this yoke a bit too soon. Flying Spaghetti Monster was right. Nothing happened.
Ha! I have spent a night in Schiphol airport just 10 days ago! Let me tell you, Schiphol is one of the best airports in the world: beautiful, traveller-friendly and it's the right place for a healthy snack. Read the report on DyeDiet dot com.
This reminds me of the great HBO show, Newsroom that I love. Except in the show, they had enough sense to hold off until they had the fact and not to try to sensationalize and dramatize. Oh well, in general NBC does a good job. A melodramatic slip once in a while is o.k.
That is a great show.
So, as usual, there's failure to communicate with your readers. WHAT was the miscommunication? What the miscommunication was is the key point here to understanding what exactly happened. And, yes, I know that most of your readers are uneducated, disaffected and have no reading comprehension anyway, but give the rest of us a break. Mmmmm-k?
The "miscommunication" was a loss of communication between the tower and pilot.
It would be nice to know what exactly was the nature of the miscommunication between the aircraft and the control tower that led authorities to believe it had been high-jacked. Were they just not talking to the control tower at all or what? I don't think the article made that very clear.
The Airbus A320 Spanish pilot did NOT ANSWER the aircontroller-repeatedly-then under NCBT protocol- trouble onboard-treat it as an emergency hijacking in air- scramble fighterjets to escort to the airport etc.
Dutch News Release: The Dutch security personel have prevented a Highjacking from taking place. They successfully scrambled two F16 fighter jets to intercept the plane. All passengers were released unharmed.
Spanish News Release: The Dutch Government had sent two fighter jets to harrass the peaceful flight of a Spanish airline. The Dutch government made no statements as to their strange behavior and won't return phone calls.
gtouch
Dutch News Release: The Dutch security personel have prevented a Highjacking from taking place. They successfully scrambled two F16 fighter jets to intercept the plane. All passengers were released unharmed.
Spanish News Release: The Dutch Government had sent two fighter jets to harrass the peaceful flight of a Spanish airline. The Dutch government made no statements as to their strange behavior and won't return phone calls.
--------------Haha. So true. I believe your posts before I will believe their news stories.
Love your post, gtouch.
HaHa! For all the Airplane! references, Thanks!! You made my day
A Buh..
No, not a Buh, a bomb
No one should be troubled by this given the post 911 state of the world - I'd argue, its better to be "safe" than "sorry!"
Ain't this why some of our kids are taught in grade school to never cite the news media to support a fact? News journalists are dumber than amoebas!
@ Jamie Alvarez
Why insult amoebas? An amoeba will never try to mislead you like the media. Sounds like racism to me. If amoebas were white, you would never have made that comment. I see how it is. :) :) :)
So he should say Hola Amoebas?
@TFNJ
Hola is fine. We would also have accepted buenos dias, amoebas.
Or Bienvenido Todos Mis Amoebas
LOL. Nice
The original headline clearly demonstrates that the news media is an incompetent occupation. Countries will have to create tort law to fine news outlets and journalists who report lies, innuendo, and junk science. The governments could make billions of dollars by taxing misinformation in the news! Wouldn't that be great as it would cause the news media to either tell the truth or go out of business. The New York Times wouldn't last a week!
THIS HAPPENED TO ME ! ! ! ! !
My name is Li Vbomb, I'm a 34 year old Computer Engineer from India, and when I went to Orlando on vacation with my girlfriend, Igotta Bomb, we had an awful time once we were on board.