A British Airways flight from Pafos, Cyprus, to London Heathrow was met by German Eurofighter Typhoons after the crew stopped responding to air-traffic control while over Germany. The episode prompted a security inspection, but the aircraft continued to London after contact was restored.

Right-wing coverage cast the incident in terms of the potential danger created by roughly 30 minutes of radio silence, reporting that BA899 did not answer controllers on either its main or backup frequency. It said fighters were sent to inspect the aircraft amid fears that something serious could be wrong, while a source said the crew asked the jets to remain behind the plane to avoid alarming passengers.¹

Left-wing coverage described the same basic sequence but put greater weight on the outcome: the Typhoons were dispatched to inspect the cockpit and establish whether there was any threat. Its account said the inspection was successful and that there was “no terrorism,” with the escort remaining in place until the aircraft reached the German border.²

The two reports therefore differ mainly in emphasis rather than in their central facts. Both say the pilots eventually re-established communications and that no third-party interference or security threat was identified. British Airways said: “All of the procedures in place for situations like this were followed. Communication with air traffic control was re-established and the flight continued safely and as planned.”²

The airline said it was examining the circumstances behind the loss of contact. The crew remained flying while that review continued, according to the right-wing report.¹