Nuremberg Airport suspended flight operations for several hours on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, after a Corendon Airlines Boeing 737-800 arriving from Corfu transmitted the transponder code 7500, the international signal for an unlawful interference or hijacking. The aircraft landed safely, police sealed off the airport, and the airline later said the alert was caused by a brief malfunction of the radio communication system rather than any threat on board.
What happened on flight XR456
The jet, registered 9H-CXD and operating as flight XR456, left Corfu (CFU) shortly after 08:00 UTC for Nuremberg (NUE). Flight-tracking data cited by AeroTime showed the 737 broadcasting squawk 7500 for several minutes during the climb out of Corfu, while an airport spokesperson told Bavarian broadcaster BR the code was noticed during the approach. Accounts of exactly when the code appeared therefore differ. According to the Associated Press, German police said the pilot could no longer be reached by radio.
The German Air Force scrambled two Eurofighters on quick reaction alert to escort the airliner, the German Press Agency (dpa) reported, and an airport spokesperson said the fighters turned away before the landing. The Luftwaffe keeps two armed Eurofighters on standby at each of its air policing bases, Wittmund and Neuburg an der Donau, ready to be airborne within 15 minutes, and reports said the escort came from Neuburg. The 737 touched down at Nuremberg at 12:16 local time (10:16 UTC), according to Flightradar24 data.
Airport closed, flights diverted
Police cordoned off access roads and the airport halted all flight operations while officers dealt with the aircraft. "We received a report of an unclear air emergency," Middle Franconia police wrote on X, adding that the aircraft had landed safely. A police spokesperson told Nordbayern: "We are working on the assumption of a suspected air emergency, but this is not yet confirmed."
Eurocontrol listed Nuremberg as closed until 14:00 UTC. Inbound flights were sent to Frankfurt, Memmingen, Stuttgart and Munich, and operations resumed at around 13:30 local time once police had finished their checks. No injuries were reported.
Corendon: no emergency on board
Corendon Airlines said the incident was triggered by a brief malfunction of the aircraft's radio communication system. According to the airline, no emergency situation occurred and passengers, crew and aircraft were never in danger. Reuters summed up the episode as a radio glitch that sent a false hijack alert.
The airline's explanation fits a familiar pattern. Code 7500 is one of three special transponder codes, alongside 7600 for radio failure and 7700 for a general emergency. Any 7500 signal, especially one combined with a loss of radio contact, triggers a full security response by air traffic control, the military and police until the crew can confirm the situation. That response is designed to assume the worst, which is why airports often close temporarily even when the cause turns out to be technical.
A second disruption within hours
The squawk came only hours after an unrelated disruption at the same airport. Between about 02:00 and 04:00 local time, three pilots independently reported a possible drone near Nuremberg. A police helicopter searched the area but found nothing. Six flights were delayed, two arrivals and four departures, and two aircraft diverted to Cologne/Bonn and Prague before continuing to Nuremberg. Authorities have not established any connection between the drone reports and the Corendon flight.
The Nuremberg Airport Border Police Inspectorate ran search and detection measures with the airport and air navigation provider Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS), and police have opened an investigation into the sightings.
What comes next
Middle Franconia police said investigations into the cause of the alert were under way after the landing. Beyond the airline's statement about the radio system, no further technical detail has been published, and no arrests or security findings have been reported. For passengers, Tuesday meant both overnight delays and a midday closure at the same airport within roughly ten hours.
Sources: AeroTime, Associated Press, Reuters, Aviation24, Aerospace Global News, Simple Flying.
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