BA flight to Heathrow was stopped at Charles de Gaulle airport and surrounded by police and fire engines

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A British Airways plane has been evacuated at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris for security reasons, after passengers were told a “direct threat” had been made towards the aircraft.



Flight BA303 was due to take off on Sunday bound for Heathrow in London when the incident occurred, with police and fire engines surrounding the plane on the tarmac.



One passenger, James Anderson, 20, said those onboard were informed by the pilot that an individual had made a direct threat against the aircraft. People were led off the plane and individually searched by armed officers, with luggage in the hold searched by dogs.

Passengers had waited on the plane for about an hour, at first being told there were “technical issues”. They were then told the aircraft was to move to another part of the airport. The passengers then noticed police and fire engines quickly surround the plane, and dozens of armed officers and firefighters got out, Anderson tweeted.



He told BBC News: “Every single person and every single item of baggage was searched. That took around an hour.”

Many ended up missing flight connections as a result, he said.



“The pilot did a great job in keeping us all calm. Everybody was very calm in getting off. The whole process was relatively fast. And we were kept in the loop the whole time,” Anderson said.

“It is the sort of thing you see on social media and maybe TV shows, you know, when an aircraft is being swarmed like that. And there were literally dozens of these vehicles and fire vehicles. And that’s when I realised that it was really serious. It was definitely scary.”



British Airways said: “The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority. Additional security checks are being carried out as a precaution. We would never operate a flight unless it is safe to do so.”



An airport official said the plane had been evacuated for security reasons. “The incident is being dealt with,” the official said.



Anderson later tweeted: “Pilot: ‘Aircraft has been deemed absolutely safe. Authorities are satisfied with the search. We will continue on to London Heathrow’.”



“Our pilot was an absolute credit to British Airways. Extremely calm and composed, handled the situation wonderfully.”

A British Airways spokeswoman confirmed the flight had taken off at about 11.10am.</s>A British Airways flight was evacuated at Charles de Gaulle Airport. A direct threat had been made for the flight to London. Police checked the plane and found nothing suspicious.</s>PARIS (AP) — Police and firefighters are checking a British Airways plane on the tarmac of Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport after reports of a problem. One passenger on the plane said it was surrounded by dozens of armed officers and firefighters.

UPDATE from Associated Press – ‘Determined to be false alarm’:

Police and firefighters checked a British Airways plane on the tarmac of Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport Sunday morning after reports of a security threat but authorities determined it was a false alarm.

A spokesman for France’s national gendarme service said police and firefighters rushed to the scene after receiving a “security alert.” The spokesman said the plane was evacuated, each passenger and each bag was checked and the plane was thoroughly examined but no threats were found. Authorities determined it was a false alarm.

He would not elaborate on the nature of the original alert. The spokesman was not authorized to be publicly named according to gendarme policy.

“The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority. Additional security checks are being carried out as a precaution,” British Airways said in a statement when asked about the flight.

James Anderson, a 20-year-old entrepreneur on the Sunday morning flight from Paris to London’s Heathrow Airport, told The Associated Press that the pilot initially told passengers there were technical issues. Anderson said after about an hour, passengers were told the aircraft had to move to another part of the airport and that’s when security officers surrounded the plane.

Anderson says “the pilot then said there had been a direct security threat involving our flight.”

There was no immediate comment from either British Airways or Charles de Gaulle Airport.</s>PARIS: Passengers were evacuated from a British Airways airplane at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris on Sunday (Sep 17) morning "for a security reason", an airport official said.

Flight BA303 was due to take off and fly to London's Heathrow airport when the plane was evacuated, the official said.

"The incident is being dealt with," the official added, without going into further detail.</s>A British Airways plane was held at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris Sunday morning after a “direct security threat” sparked an evacuation — ultimately leading to a false alarm.

Dozens of armed officers and firefighters surrounded the plane headed to London’s Heathrow Airport Sunday after they received a “security alert,” a spokesman for France’s national gendarme service said. James Anderson, who was on the flight, told The Associated Press passengers were initially told there were technical issues.

“The pilot then said there had been a direct security threat involving our flight,” the 20-year-old entrepreneur said.

The plane was immediately evacuated. Each passenger’s luggage was individually searched and the aircraft was examined, delaying the flight by at least an hour. Authorities later determined the threat was a false alarm.

Anderson detailed the ordeal on Twitter and said the pilot was “extremely calm and composed” and handled the possible threat “wonderfully.”

The Charles de Gaulle Airport confirmed the security search was complete on Flight BA303 and passengers were heading back on board to depart for London.

“The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority. Additional security checks are being carried out as a precaution,” British Airways said in a statement when asked about the flight.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>A British Airways flight was evacuated at Charles De Gaulle in Paris this morning following a "direct" security threat.

A large police and firefighter presence was in attendance after the plane, bound for London Heathrow, was searched by armed officers.

James Anderson, a passenger escorted from the flight, told our sister title Mirror Online : "Initially the pilot told us there were technical issues. We were waiting on the plane for around an hour.

"We were then told the aircraft had to move to another part of the airport. That’s when we noticed police and fire vehicles quickly surround the plane and dozens of armed officers and firefighters got out.

"The pilot then said there had been a direct security threat involving our flight specifically.

"We had all our carry on bags searched (given all clear), we’re now going through the body scanners and x-rays, and then we will have to identify any hold luggage that belongs to us.

"They need to make sure everybody and everything has been searched. They’re being extremely thorough and we’re being escorted by armed officers."

Earlier, James tweeted: "On British Airways flight BA0303, currently being held on tarmac at Paris due to security threat, surrounded by police and fire vehicles.

"Apparently an individual has made a direct threat to this aircraft. We will all be led off the aircraft & baggage searched in due course.

"Everybody’s been individually searched by armed officers and given all clear. Now hold luggage being searched by dogs."

Armed security, police dogs and security vehicles surrounded the plane as passengers were evacuated.

Travellers were pictured dragging their suitcases across the tarmac.</s>British Airways flight evacuated in Paris for security reason, airport official says

Flight BA303 was due to take off and fly to London's Heathrow airport when the plane was evacuated, the official said. — File icLOS ANGELES, Sept 17 — Passengers were evacuated from a British Airways airplane at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris this morning “for a security reason”, an airport official said.

Flight BA303 was due to take off and fly to London's Heathrow airport when the plane was evacuated, the official said.

“The incident is being dealt with,” the official added, without going into further detail. — AFP</s>A British Airways flight has been held on the tarmac of a Paris airport because of a "direct threat" to the plane, a passenger has said.

Flight number BA303 was stopped at Charles de Gaulle and surrounded by police and fire vehicles at around 8am UK time this morning.

British traveller James Anderson, 20, tweeted a snap of the plane and security services.

He posted: "On British Airways flight BA303, currently being held on tarmac at Paris due to security threat, surrounded by police and fire vehicles."

He added: "Apparently an individual has made a direct threat to this aircraft.</s>London-bound passengers were evacuated from a British Airways plane after a "direct security threat," airport officials said.

Travellers were escorted by armed officers and searched by sniffer dogs from flight BA0303 at Charles De Gaulle Airport, in Paris, this morning.

The incident is now being reported as a "false alarm" by police after dozens of security vehicles, armed police and firefighters surrounded the Airbus A320.

The pilot announced there had been a "direct security threat" before those on board were ordered to move in "single file" onto the runway.

It appears the flight, now more than four hours delayed, will not be taking off and passengers will be forced to book onto a later flight.

The threat comes just two days after three attacks against London and France in 24 hours.

An improvised explosive device was detonated on a packed tube train in Parsons Green station in London on Friday morning.

In the same day, in Paris, a knife-wielding man shouting so-called ISIS slogans attacked a French soldier, and an attacker armed with a hammer in Chalon-sur-Saône, in eastern France, injured two women while screaming "Allahu Akbar".

James Anderson, a passenger escorted from the BA flight this morning, told The Mirror : "Initially the pilot told us there were technical issues. We were waiting on the plane for around an hour.

"We were then told the aircraft had to move to another part of the airport. That’s when we noticed police and fire vehicles quickly surround the plane and dozens of armed officers and firefighters got out.

"The pilot then said there had been a direct security threat involving our flight specifically.

"We had all our carry on bags searched (given all clear), we’re now going through the body scanners and x-rays, and then we will have to identify any hold luggage that belongs to us.

"They need to make sure everybody and everything has been searched. They’re being extremely thorough and we’re being escorted by armed officers."

He added: "It was pretty intense disembarking the aircraft though - we had to step off the aircraft and form a single line with armed officers by the side of each of us with dogs.

"People were quite calm, most likely as a result of the way the pilot handled the situation."

An airport official said passengers were evacuated "for a security reason" and confirmed "the incident is being dealt with".

Earlier, James tweeted: "On British Airways flight BA0303, currently being held on tarmac at Paris due to security threat, surrounded by police and fire vehicles.

"Apparently an individual has made a direct threat to this aircraft. We will all be led off the aircraft & baggage searched in due course.

"Everybody’s been individually searched by armed officers and given all clear. Now hold luggage being searched by dogs."

A British Airways spokesman said: "The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority.

"Additional security checks are being carried out as a precaution.

"We would never operate a flight unless it is safe to do so."</s>Have your say

A British Airways flight has taken off from a Paris airport after it was searched by armed police because of a “direct threat” to the plane.

Flight number BA0303 was held on the tarmac at Charles de Gaulle and surrounded by police and fire vehicles at around 8am UK time this morning.

British Airways said: “The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority.

“Additional security checks are being carried out as a precaution.

“We would never operate a flight unless it is safe to do so.”

At around 11.10am, a British Airways spokeswoman confirmed the flight had taken off.

The airline did not state the nature of the alleged threat.

British traveller James Anderson, 20, tweeted a snap of the plane and security services.

He posted: “On British Airways flight BA0303, currently being held on tarmac at Paris due to security threat, surrounded by police and fire vehicles.”

He added: “Apparently an individual has made a direct threat to this aircraft.

“We will all be led off the aircraft and baggage searched in due course.”

He then posted: “Everybody’s been individually searched by armed officers and given all clear.

Mr Anderson later tweeted: “Pilot: ‘Aircraft has been deemed absolutely safe. Authorities are satisfied with the search. We will continue on to London Heathrow’.”

He added: “Our pilot was an absolute credit to @British_Airways. Extremely calm and composed, handled the situation wonderfully.”

The security alert comes amid heightened tensions in the UK in the wake of the failed bomb plot on a District Line train at Parsons Green on Friday.

Intelligence chiefs raised the threat level to “critical” meaning that a second attack could be imminent.

France has been one of the countries hardest hit by terror attacks in recent years, with 130 killed in the Paris attacks in November 2015, and 84 killed in the Nice attacks in July last year.

There have been a number of smaller attacks, while the doomed EgyptAir flight MS804 which crashed into the Mediterranean in May 2016, possibly due to an explosion, also took off from Charles de Gaulle.
A British Airways airplane is evacuated at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport after a "direct threat" was made against it. After a search, it is declared safe.