RAF fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a flight from Kenya heading to Britain after a warnings of a potential “security threat”.
A Kenya Airways plane from Nairobi bound for London’s Heathrow Airport was intercepted by air force fighter jets and diverted to land at Stansted airport on Thursday.
Essex Police said officers attended an “incident” at the airport, and established there was “nothing of concern” aboard the plane. The airport remained open throughout the incident.
The Ministry of Defense said Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters were launched “as a precaution this afternoon to investigate a civilian aircraft which was approaching the U.K.”
It said the plane “remained in contact with air traffic controllers throughout, and was escorted to Stansted Airport where it landed safely.”
The packed passenger plane, a Boeing 787, was met by jets bristling with weapons at around 3.45pm and photos from some passengers after landing showed armed officers had boarded the aircraft.
Passengers were eventually allowed off the plane after it was rigorously searched and some witnesses reported a bomb disposal squad arrived at the scene, the Sun reports.
Kenya Airways said in a statement that its headquarters had received “an alert of a potential security threat” aboard the plane. It said the airline and Kenyan and UK authorities “carried out a thorough risk assessment of the threat.”
It said: “The crew on board were briefed, and all safety and security precautions were taken to ensure the safety and security of our crew and passengers on board.”
In August 2020 another aircraft was intercepted by RAF jets and diverted to Stansted after “suspicious objects” were found in an onboard toilet.
The flight from Vienna was surrounded by police after landing at the Essex airport around 7.20pm on August 31. Essex Police boarded the plane and removed two men after the discovery in the bathroom.
Both of the Typhoon fighter jets circled the airport several times before the passenger plane had landed at the scene.
In summer this year a thunderous sonic boom “shook” houses and left Britons in shock after a RAF Typhoon sped through the skies over Northamtonshire, Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire.
