© Provided by Evening Standard The Ryanair jet is being held in an isolation point on the tarmac at Stansted (@J_shaw01/Twitter)
Two men have been arrested after a Ryanair flight was diverted to Stansted Airport following a bomb scare. RAF Typhoon jets were scrambled to escort the Boeing 737-800 to the Essex landing site on Monday at 6.40pm. A Ryanair spokesman said a note was found in the aircraft toilet during the flight from Krakow to Dublin claiming that there were “explosives on board”.
The pilot alerted UK authorities and the aircraft was diverted to the nearest airport. Essex Police said that, after the plane was escorted to the runway, “nothing suspicious” was found onboard. Two men, aged 47 and 26, were arrested on suspicion of making threats to endanger an aircraft, police said. They remain in custody. A police spokesman added: “The aircraft has been handed back to Stansted Airport and the operator. We appreciate the patience and understanding of everyone involved.”
RAF jets scramble to escort Ryanair flight after ‘security alert’
A Ryanair spokesman previously told the Standard: “A Ryanair flight from Krakow to Dublin this evening discovered a note in one of the toilets claiming that there were explosives on board,” he said. “The captain followed procedure by alerting the UK authorities and diverted to the nearest airport (Stansted) where the plane landed normally, but was taxied to a remote stand where passengers disembarked safely.”
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed that two Typhoons were dispatched to help, but have since returned to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.
A spokesman added: “It was all escorted safely and there were no issues after that point.”
Source: Evening Standard