Greek fighter jets were deployed on Sunday to escort a Ryanair flight between Poland and Greece with 190 people on board after a bomb warning was reported to authorities, a source at Greece’s defense ministry said.
Two F-16s were sent to escort the flight between Katowice and Athens as it entered Greek airspace from North Macedonia, the same source told AFP.
The Boeing 737 had already been escorted by Hungarian fighter jets, the official added.
The plane touched down shortly before 4 p.m. (Lisbon time) at a remote spot at Athens International Airport.
“The passengers have disembarked and are being inspected,” Greek police spokeswoman Constantia Dimoglidou told AFP. “There were 190 people on board, including the crew. The plane will be checked after the passengers,” said the same source.
On approach to Athens, the aircraft was diverted to sea as a precaution. It is not yet clear who reported the bomb. “The pilot informed the Athens control tower, but we don’t know where the information originally came from,” said Dimoglidou.
Source: DN
