An EasyJet flight travelling from London to the Spanish holiday island Menorca was intercepted by a Spanish Air Force fighter jet after a teenage passenger on board made a hoax bomb threat on social media. The Airbus A319 took off from London’s Gatwick Airport (LGW) in the United Kingdom at 1 pm and landed safely at Mahon Menorca Airport (MAH) around 5 pm in Spain on July 3. The aircraft was then immediately escorted to a security area.
An EasyJet Airbus A319-100 aircraft (G-EZAO) bound to the island of Menorca (LEMH) was intercepted by Spanish F/A-18 fighter jet on 3rd July due to security concerns.
It is being said that a false bomb alarm was received on easyJet flight EZY-8303 from Gatwick (LGW),London. pic.twitter.com/fuORai9ZwV— FL360aero (@fl360aero) July 4, 2022
The video footage shows an F-18 fighter jet flying close to the wingtips of the EasyJet A319 aircraft that had 120-150 passengers on board. The fighter jet can be seen making a gesture by waggling its wings indicating the other pilot to follow him.
Military planes tend to intercept civilian aircraft only if the aircraft loses contact with the ground air traffic control or if there is a possible bomb threat warning or suspicious object. As soon as the aircraft landed the teenage passenger was arrested and the rest of the passengers were asked to get their baggage checked by sniffer dogs and bomb disposal experts.
The incident caused panic and disruption to airport operations which further delayed the aircraft’s future schedule.