PYARE MIAN
Banned
- Typhoon jets were scrambled to meet a Pakistani International Airlines flight due to land at Heathrow today
- Firm confirmed an 'anonymous security threat' was made via a phone call and flight was diverted to Stansted
- Essex Police arrested a disruptive passenger upon landing who was 'due to be detained at Heathrow'
- No one was injured and flight is believed to be carrying on to Heathrow and is due to land at 7.30pm
A Pakistani passenger plane has landed at Stansted Airport after being escorted by fighter jets following a ' security threat'.
Two Typhoon jets were scrambled to meet Pakistan International Airlines flight PK757 and the flight was diverted from Heathrow following an anonymous phone call, the airline confirmed.
A passenger was also detained once the plane landed, police confirmed, in a separate incident over a disturbance.
The passenger, who was 'wanted by the Metropolitan Police before landing', was due to be arrested at Heathrow but was instead detained at Stansted.
The plane landed safely just before 3pm, with no injuries reported.
Police are pictured in video footage arriving on the plane ready to escort a man off after it made an emergency landing at Stansted today
The officers detained one passenger who was due to be arrested upon arriving at its original destination of Heathrow
The flight had been due to land at Heathrow but was diverted to Stanstead following a 'security threat' made by 'anonymous phone call', according to Pakistan International Airlines
The Met would not confirm whether the disruptive passenger was the same man who was wanted by authorities.
They also refused to say what offences he has been arrested for.
A PIA spokesman said: 'The authorities received an anonymous phone call and then followed standard operating procedure by diverting the plane.
'Security clearance is underway and the aircraft will be cleared soon afterwards. All passengers on board are safe.'
Stansted is the default airport for any security threat. Such incidents are dealt with in a remote part of the airfield to the north-west of the terminal building.
The RAF confirmed that the incident has since been handed over to the police, now the plane has landed.
The plane is pictured here after landing at Stansted, with Essex Police officers boarding to conduct an investigation
The aircraft, pictured, stayed at Stansted for more than two hours while police carried out inquiries and it was refuelled. It is due to carry on its journey and land at 7.30pm
A Stansted spokesman added: 'The aircraft is likely to continue its journey onwards to Heathrow today pending inquiries that the police are making into the individual on the aircraft.'
The MoD would not confirm how many jets were scrambled or exactly how long it took them to reach the aircraft.
An RAF Typhoon jet was scrambled in May 2013 in response to reports of disruption on board a Pakistan International Airlines flight from Pakistan to Manchester.
The Boeing 777 was escorted to Stansted.
Two men were arrested and went on trial accused of threatening to blow up the plane, but were cleared when the judge ruled they had no case to answer.
Typhoon pilots are on standby 24 hours a day to defend UK airspace.
The diverted plane was this Pakistan International Airlines flight flying from Lahore, which landed just before 3pm
Once the plane landed, Essex Police were called. Officers said the diversion was due to reports of a disruptive passenger on board and was 'not believed to be a hijack situation or terror matter'
Squadrons are based at RAF Coningsby, covering the south of the country, and RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, to cover the north.
The Quick Reaction Alert crews can take off within minutes to intercept aircraft which have caused concern.
This can be because they are Russian military aircraft, or civilian planes which have stopped communicating with air traffic control, are not following their flight plan or have sent an emergency signal.
On some occasions pilots are given permission to fly at supersonic speeds, which may result in a sonic boom, to reach the aircraft as soon as possible.
Ministry of Defence figures show that QRA were launched on 12 days in 2015, eight in response to Russian aircraft and four to investigate other planes.
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