EUROPE NEWS

Ryanair passenger jet makes emergency landing in Berlin

Authorities were alerted to a security threat which later proved to be unfounded, German police said Monday

A Ryanair plane taxis at Lisbon's airport, Portugal, on September 27, 2018.. Reuters

H. J. I. / AFP

A Ryanair passenger plane travelling from Dublin to Krakow made an emergency landing in Berlin after authorities were alerted to a security threat which later proved to be unfounded, German police said Monday.

-We had a tip-off by telephone, and we had to be sure that there was no danger- a police spokesman told AFP.

While police gave no further details about the nature of the alert, German newspaper Bild Zeitung said the Poland-bound flight made the unexpected diversion late Sunday after a reported bomb threat.

With 160 people on board, the flight arrived at the Berlin-Brandenburg airport shortly after 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) Sunday. The passengers were later tranferred onto another plane which took off early Monday morning.

Police said that officers had completed their security checks "without any danger being detected".

The flight was emptied with the baggage also searched, German media reported.

-The Ryanair plane that made an emergency landed reported an air emergency and was therefore immediately given a landing permit at BER- airport spokesman Jan-Peter Haack told Bild.

The incident comes a week after a Ryanair flight was forced to divert to Belarus, with a passenger -- a dissident journalist -- arrested on arrival.

And in July last year, another Ryanair plane from Dublin to Krakow was forced to make an emergency landing in London after a false bomb threat.