At least 11 flights have been diverted and others seriously delayed after an apparent bomb threat was made against a Ryanair flight to Brussels-Charleroi in Belgium.
The aircraft at the centre of the scare was Ryanair flight FR6313, which touched down at 10.52am local time, after a journey from Faro in Portugal. The Boeing 737 is believed to have had 170 passengers on board.
Shortly afterwards the airport was closed, with many aircraft diverted.
Pegasus from Istanbul was the first flight diverted to the main airport in Brussels, just 31 miles north. The same airline’s inbound flight from Antalya also went to the Belgian capital, along with Ryanair services from Biarritz, Ibiza and Lanzarote.
Lille, 61 miles west across the border in France, took Ryanair diversions from Vitoria, Pisa, Vienna, Bucharest and Porto.
An inbound flight from Brindisi in Italy was just 30 miles from Charleroi when the pilots were notified of the closure. They turned around and headed for Liege, 45 miles east.
The US Embassy in Brussels posted on X (formerly Twitter): “The US Embassy is aware of reports of a bomb alert on board a plane at Brussels South Charleroi Airport. Monitor local news and inform your friends and family of your status.”
A Ryanair spokesperson told The Independent: “Ryanair was informed of a security threat on flight FR6313 from Faro to Brussels Charleroi today, 13 May.
“The aircraft landed normally at Charleroi as planned. Passengers have been disembarked and the aircraft is being prepared for return to service. We sincerely apologise to any passengers affected.”
Bomb threats made against aircraft happen frequently. Last autumn, dozens were made against airlines based in India.
The main airport in Brussels was the target of a lethal terrorist bomb attack in 2016. At least 30 people died in coordinated attacks on the airport and the city’s Metro.
