DENVER: An international flight from Las Vegas to Frankfurt made an emergency landing at Denver International Airport escorted by two F-16 fighter jets Friday night after what officials called a “disturbance on the plane.”
A pilot on the Condor Airlines Boeing 767 reported an in-flight emergency, and the fighter jets were sent as a precaution, said Air Force Capt. Ashleigh A. Peck, a spokeswoman for North American Aerospace Defense.
The plane landed safely, and one person was taken off the plane. Airport spokesman Heath Montgomery said the flight was originally scheduled to resume on Friday, but it was delayed for the night and passengers were put up in hotels. The flight was rescheduled to resume Saturday night.
“All passengers are fine,” Montgomery said.
The FBI called the incident a misunderstanding, and it said nobody was arrested or taken into custody. But no other details were available.
Carsten Stepanowicz, a spokesman for the airline in Germany, said the pilot requested help because of an unruly passenger on board.
“It was not possible to go on with the flight, so the pilot decided to land in Denver,” he said. He said he could not release details on the number of passengers.
The incident occurred shortly after 6 p.m., Montgomery said. The Transportation Security Administration and Denver police met the plane at the gate, and the FBI was notified. --AP