No flights at Brussels South Charleroi Airport following bomb threat on Ryanair aircraft

Air traffic at Brussels South Charleroi Airport has been temporarily suspended after a bomb threat was reported on board a Ryanair aircraft shortly before 11:00. As a result, no flights are currently allowed to land or depart from the airport.

The Ryanair plane, a Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 registered 9H-VVJ, which originated from Faro under flight number FR6313, landed safely, according to confirmation from the airport to VRT NWS. The aircraft was immediately moved to a remote area of the airport.

“Passengers remain on board while police investigate the situation,” an airport spokesperson said. “A security perimeter of 500 metres has been established around the aircraft. Due to this, no other flights can currently take off or land at Charleroi. Passengers inside the terminal do not need to be evacuated.”

The competent authorities have now taken over the investigation, the airport added. It was 13:30 when the 166 passengers could eventually disembark. Their baggage still had to be screened before they were able to leave the airport at 14:00.

But one man had been reported to Belgian airport authorities by Interpol England. He was taken to the Charleroi prosecutor’s office for questioning, despite the absence of explosives in his luggage, until Interpol disclosed that it was a hoax! The author of this false report has been identified and arrested in the United Kingdom.

Two flights from Pegasus were diverted to Brussels Airport, and several Ryanair flights were diverted to Brussels and Lille airports.