Two F-16s of the Belgian Air Force scrambled on Tuesday evening after the request of the Dutch Air Combat Command. Shortly after taking off from Flore airbase, after flying supersonic, the fighter jets intercepted an Air China Cargo Boeing 777F (registered B-2097) above The Netherlands.
The aircraft operated a freighter flight between Hangzhou, China, and Liege, Belgium, and was subject to a bomb threat.
The crisis unit of the General Directorate of Air Transport of the FPS Mobility was mobilised and, together with the police, an investigation started.
Federal police brought in an explosive detection dog to inspect the aircraft, and the military called in deminers. As a precaution, several airport hangars were evacuated.
Soon thereafter, the bomb threat turned out to be false, a spokesperson told Belgian daily newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws.
The spokesman added that the airline itself made the report, following rumors of online social media threats against other Chinese aircraft.
1/2 – De Nederlandse luchtgevechtsleiding @aocsnm heeft dinsdagavond 2 @BeAirForce F-16’s gealarmeerd. De twee jachtvliegtuigen zijn naar een civiel vrachtvliegtuig boven Nederland gevlogen en hebben het toestel tot aan de eindbestemming in België begeleid. pic.twitter.com/plUbBVAjJ0
— Belgian Air Force?? (@BeAirForce) May 17, 2022
2/2 – Les autorités fédérales sur place mènent une enquête plus approfondie sur l'avion.
Les F-16 ont volé en supersonique, plus vite que le son, au-dessus des Pays-Bas. Cela a pu être audible au sol comme un bruit sourd. pic.twitter.com/ab2njy47wR— Belgian Air Force?? (@BeAirForce) May 17, 2022
