How a radio glitch triggered a false hijack alert in Germany

German authorities briefly closed an airport and scrambled fighter jets to escort a passenger plane on Tuesday after receiving an emergency alert that a hijacking was underway. The alert, however, was the result of an accidental radio malfunction rather than a true threat.

Corendon Airlines reported that its Boeing 737‑800, traveling from the Greek island of Corfu to Nuremberg, Germany, broadcast an emergency code while cruising over Croatia because of a brief mishap in the radio communication system.

In a press release, the carrier confirmed that “no emergency situation occurred” and that none of the 178 passengers, flight crew, or aircraft were ever in danger, allowing the aircraft to land safely in Nuremberg.

What happened?

German police stated that Corendon Airlines Flight XR456 “inadvertently” issued an emergency squawk code 7500 while flying over Croatia on Tuesday.

A squawk is a four‑digit transponder signal that informs air traffic control of an imminent hijacking. In this case, no one on the ground could contact the pilots or crew.

Because radio contact failed, air traffic services elevated the alert level across several European nations, prompting a response involving the deployment of a Rafale fighter jet from Croatia and additional warplanes from the German military.

Police secured the Albrecht Dürer Airport in Nuremberg as a precaution while the cause behind the incorrect hijack notification under investigation.

Speaker Michael Petzold noted that authorities received a code directly from the cockpit signalling a hijacking and were forced to assume the worst given the lack of subsequent communication.

“When we could not reach the cockpit and the tower likewise lost contact, we had no choice but to treat the situation as a potential hijack.” Petzold explained.

The disturbance also affected scheduled service, with six flights delayed and two inbound arrivals diverted to alternate airports out of caution, according to a Nuremberg airport representative.

Why are aviation authorities so concerned?

The panic stems from broader worries about aviation security, highlighted recently by a Takeoff Attempt.
While the copilot aboard a Flydubai jet bound for Israel assaulted the captain with an emergency crash axe, forcing an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on September 30, prosecutors described the incident as a suicide mission aimed at destroying Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

Additionally, shortly before the false alert, Nuremberg International Airport experienced brief disruptions due to reports of unidentified drones, linking the event to a surge of sky‑bound security concerns across Europe.

European regulators have tightened aerial surveillance in the past weeks, responding to a series of ambiguous drone incidents and apprehending Russia’s role in such activities.

Western governments have attributed repeated airport closures—particularly at several German sites—to Russian drone campaigns intended to destabilize the region and target Ukrainian supporters.

Early last month, the German administration blamed Russia for trying to strike Leipzig/Halle Airport with a drone carrying explosives, prompting Berlin to shut down the Russian consulate as a preventive measure.

President Vladimir Putin rejected those accusations, claiming the evidence was fabricated. Nonetheless, NATO’s Supreme Command warned that the alliance now has a strategic defense plan for countering a Russian invasion, drawing lessons from the Ukrainian conflict.

How common are radio glitches and false hijack alerts?

Occasional radio malfunctions do occur, yet they usually do not spiral into large‑scale security crises because pilots maintain redundant radio channels.
In 2019, a pilot operating an Air Europa flight from Amsterdam to Madrid unintentionally transmitted a hijack warning (code 7500); authorities treated it as a genuine crisis for thirty minutes, even evacuating parts of Schiphol Airport as a precaution.
Similarly, in 2011 a Chicago‑to‑Germany service was rerouted to Toronto when a coffee spill triggered a 7500‑level distress call, illustrating how easily a minor equipment error can be misinterpreted as a takeover attempt.

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