Two Belgian F-16s intercepted a cargo plane from China in Dutch airspace on Tuesday and escorted it to Liège airport. The reason is a bomb threat, which later turned out to be false, said Christian Delcourt, the spokesman for Liège Airport.
The two F-16s took off on Tuesday evening, at the request of the Dutch air combat control. They intercepted the cargo plane in Dutch airspace and escorted it to Liège, the aircraft’s final destination, the Ministry of Defense reported. It was an aircraft of the airline Air China Cargo.
There was a bomb threat for the Boeing 777, which turned out to be false, the spokesman for Liège Airport reported. The aircraft landed in Liège after 8 p.m. without any problems. Several airport hangars were evacuated in connection with the landing. The airport spokesman says the airline itself made the report, following rumors of threats against other Chinese planes on social media.
The F-16s flew faster than the sound in the Netherlands and it is possible that a dull bang could be heard as a result. The Netherlands and Belgium alternately monitor the airspace for a number of months. Two fighter aircraft are permanently available for this.