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Frontier Airlines hijacking row: What happened on Flight 2539 at Atlanta airport today? Details
Frontier Airlines Flight 2539 from Columbus made an emergency landing in Atlanta after a passenger issued verbal bomb threats onboard.
On Sunday, a Frontier Airlines flight 2539 from Columbus, Ohio had to make an emergency landing at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta after a passenger on board the aircraft made verbal bomb threats.
The incident sparked a massive police response at the airport in Atlanta, Georgia, around 5pm on Sunday. The emergency landing took place shortly after that, amid allegations that the suspect allegedly tried to hijack the plane with the bomb threat.
Fox 5 Atlanta reports citing the Atlanta Police Department, which is leading the investigation, that the bomb threat turned out to be a false alarm. However, the police and the airport authorities followed standard safety protocol with the flight.
As of now, the ATC of the Atlanta Police Department has not released a statement on the incident. The details of what happened with the passenger was confirmed by a spokesperson for Frontier Airlines.
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An audio of the flight 2539 pilots communicating with the ATC have surfaced on social media. In it the pilot could be heard telling the ATC controller about a “potential bomb on board,” sparking fears of a potential hijacking.
Ht.com could not independently verify the authenticity of the audio. Here's the audio:
What Happened At Atlanta Airport?
According to reports, the flight 2539 landed on Runway 8L of the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport around 5:07pm Sunday. Post landing, the aircraft was taken to a remote location away from the terminal, away from the main terminal at the airport.
The passengers were evacuated as the Atlanta PD officers responded. The person who made the threats were reportedly detained. As of now, the passenger in question has not been identified.
It is unclear if arrivals and departures at the Hartsfield-Jackson airport were affected because of the incident. As of now, the airport has not officially notified of any delay or cancelation. As of now, there are no known threats to the airport.
According to reports, the passenger made threats to fellow passengers about a possible bomb threat. It triggered a Level 4 aircraft emergency response - the highest level of security breach, which requires maximum security protocol response. Later, however, Atlanta PD did not find the threats to be credible.
The Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is located in Fulton County and Clayton County, about seven miles south of downtown Atlanta.
