Nuremberg Airport Resumes Flights After Hijack Alert

Nuremberg Airport in Germany resumed normal flight operations after a hijack alert aboard a Corendon Airlines passenger jet prompted a temporary suspension of airport activity on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. The flight from Corfu landed safely as planned after the airline attributed the alert to a malfunction in its radio communication system, according to the carrier and local authorities.

The aircraft was a Boeing 737-800 traveling through Croatian airspace when the emergency code was transmitted. Corendon Airlines said the plane continued to its intended destination, and the airport later confirmed that operations had returned to normal.

The airline described the alert as a technical malfunction rather than an actual emergency. It said the incident did not place passengers, crew members, or the aircraft in danger.

Corendon Airlines initially attributed the incident to a technical problem, describing it as a malfunction in the radio communication system, according to the airline.

The carrier emphasized that the aircraft completed its planned journey without incident.

Corendon Airlines said it wanted to emphasise that no emergency situation occurred and that at no point were the passengers, flight crew or aircraft in any danger.

According to the airline, the emergency code was transmitted briefly while the aircraft was in Croatian airspace. The carrier said the situation was monitored immediately, investigations began promptly, and the necessary preparations were made before the plane landed safely.

The airline explained that the transmission occurred due to a brief malfunction in the radio communication system.

It also outlined the response taken after the signal was detected, confirming that the aircraft reached Nuremberg Airport safely.

Corendon Airlines said: The situation was immediately monitored, investigations were promptly initiated and all necessary preparations were made. The aircraft landed safely at Nuremberg Airport, according to the carrier.

German police had earlier explained why emergency procedures were activated after the aircraft's communication problems raised concerns.

From the cockpit, the code '7500' (hijacking case) was transmitted, and furthermore, the pilot could no longer be reached by radio, police said in a statement posted on X.

The inability to contact the pilot by radio prompted authorities to initiate precautionary security measures while the aircraft approached its destination.

Police said, For safety reasons, various alarm scrambles were then triggered.

An airport spokesperson said there was no additional information available about the aviation emergency. The temporary suspension of flights was lifted after the aircraft landed and operations returned to normal.

The incident occurred amid heightened concern about unidentified drones near European airports. Nuremberg Airport had separately reported a possible drone sighting overnight into Tuesday, according to a statement from the airport.

German media outlet Bild reported that three pilots independently described seeing an object during takeoff or landing. An airport spokesperson said six flights were delayed and two incoming flights were diverted to other airports as a precaution.

Germany has also faced drone-related disruptions elsewhere. In August, a drone sighting halted operations at Hanover Airport in northern Germany, where runways remained closed for 90 minutes before flights resumed.

Der Spiegel, citing an internal police report on the Hanover incident, said the possibility of a hybrid activity cannot be excluded. The drone reportedly remained undetected by authorities and airport personnel for about two hours.

The report said investigators could not establish a connection between the Hanover incident and an explosive-laden drone found at Leipzig Airport. German authorities have increased attention to possible sabotage and espionage activities since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, although Russia has denied involvement in the August airport incident.

Following the Leipzig incident, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt warned of a new dimension of threat. He also referred to a potential hybrid attack scenario without directly blaming a particular country or state.

European authorities have stepped up surveillance of airspace in recent weeks as reports of unexplained drone activity have increased. Nuremberg Airport said its flight operations had returned to normal following the temporary disruption.