Passengers and crew of the allegedly hijacked flight have left the plane, Dutch military police said, adding that the investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Passagiers en crew veilig van boord. Onderzoek ter plaatse duurt nog voort.
— Koninklijke Marechaussee (@Marechaussee) 6 November 2019
The incident occurred on board an Air Europe plane to Madrid with at least 27 people thought to be on the flight. According to earlier reports, three men armed with knives were trying to take control of an outbound flight.
Security lock down at #schipol anyone knows what's going on at #ams #AmsterdamAirport? pic.twitter.com/Le4zEpiXn5
— Kat Wolseley (@KatWolseley) 6 November 2019
Eyewitnesses shared photos from the Schiphol airport on social media, claiming that heavily armed security forces were deployed to the scene with multiple ambulances.
#BREAKING: Police on Schiphol Airport are investigating a ‘suspicious situation’ on board of an airplane; special units are on the scene pic.twitter.com/pSNBI7vezu
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) 6 November 2019
According to various reports, a crew member of the departing flight has activated a hijacking alert. Air Europa confirmed in a statement that a pilot had accidentally activated the alert.
#AirEuropaInfo False Alarm. In the flight Amsterdam - Madrid, this afternoon was activated, by mistake, a warning that triggers protocols on hijackings at the airport. Nothing has happened, all passengers are safe and sound waiting to fly soon. We deeply apologize.
— Air Europa (@AirEuropa) 6 November 2019
