Passengers and crew members were removed from a plane at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport during a major security alert sparked by a hijacking alarm... which was activated by mistake.
The military police service earlier said it was responding to a "suspicious situation" at the airport, which is on the outskirts of Amsterdam. Emergency services were deployed in large numbers.
But Air Europa later tweeted that it had been a false alarm.
It said a warning that triggers protocols on hijackings at the airport was activated by mistake.
"Nothing has happened, all passengers are safe and sound waiting to fly soon. We deeply apologize," the company tweeted.
Many departing flights were delayed, but the airport said in a statement that "regular operation" had resumed.
The alert in the Netherlands came as Milan's Malpensa Airport was briefly closed while police investigated a suspicious item in someone's luggage that turned out to be a harmless computer part.
Flights were taking off and landing normally during that time.
Additional reporting by Associated Press.
