British Airways flight intercepted by Nato jets after radio silence

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 20 Oct, 11:32 · Archive

A British Airways flight from Cyprus to London was intercepted by German Eurofighter Typhoons after its pilots lost radio contact for about half an hour.

A British Airways Airbus A321 flying from Pafos in Cyprus to London Heathrow was intercepted by German Eurofighter Typhoons after its pilots failed to respond to air traffic control calls for approximately half an hour. The incident occurred as the aircraft was flying over Germany.

German military jets were scrambled to inspect the cockpit over fears of a possible security incident. A source told The Sun that pilots requested the fighter jets remain behind the plane to avoid alarming passengers, but the jets were ordered to fly alongside for the inspection. The inspection found no security threat, and the jets escorted the flight to the German border.

British Airways confirmed all procedures were followed and that communication with air traffic control was re-established. The airline is investigating what happened. A source said the captain and first officer were "pretty embarrassed" when contact was restored. The flight, which departed at 3.41pm local time on Saturday, eventually landed in London at 6pm after lasting four hours and 20 minutes. Authorities are investigating whether the crew members fell asleep.

How it is being reported

• British Airways flight ‘intercepted’ by German Air Force after loss of radioRadio communication was later reestablished and the flight continued safelyThe Independent · 20 Oct, 11:19
• NATO fighter jets scrambled to meet British Airways flight to London in mid-airBritish Airways flight BA899 was travelling between Pafos in Cyprus and London Heathrow when, above Germany, the two pilots reportedly failed to respond to air traffic controllersThe Mirror · 20 Oct, 11:10
• British Airways flight intercepted by Nato fighter jets after radio silenceA British Airways flight was intercepted by Nato fighter jets after it failed to respond to air traffic control. Alarms were raised when pilots on a flight from Cyprus to London went radio silent. German Eurofighter Typhoons were quickly scrambled, fearing a possible terror incident . But now authorities are investigating if the captain and first officer of Flight BA899 simply dozed off. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say The pair did not respond to calls on either main or back-up frequencies for around half an hour. A source familiar with the matter told The Sun the crew was "pretty…GB News · 20 Oct, 06:08

In this story: British Airways · Cyprus · London · Germany · Nato

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