NATO fighter jets were dispatched to intercept a commercial flight following the activation of a ‘bomb threat’ WiFi hotspot by a passenger. The incident involved Turkish Airlines flight TK1853 departing from Istanbul, prompting an emergency alert and subsequent interception by French and Spanish military aircraft.
The Catalan news outlet reported that the flight was escorted by military jets after a threat was identified over the Mediterranean Sea near Italian airspace. The crew issued a general emergency signal, leading to the diversion of the flight to Barcelona-El Prat Airport for further assessment in a secure area.
The alarm was triggered by a specific WiFi network name indicating a bomb threat, as confirmed by Turkish Airlines officials and Catalan authorities. All 148 passengers and crew members were safely evacuated and taken to a designated area within the airport for processing, with sniffer dogs deployed for additional security measures. No explosives were discovered after a thorough search conducted by Spain’s Civil Guard.
The incident caused a delay of approximately 30 minutes, disrupting the flight’s original destination of Barcelona before operations resumed as normal. This event occurred shortly after another flight, Air India AI117, was forced to divert to Birmingham due to adverse weather conditions caused by Storm Goretti. The Air India flight declared an emergency due to low fuel reserves amidst heavy snowfall, ultimately landing safely with priority handling from Air Traffic Control.