Nov. 6 (UPI) -- An Air Europa pilot mistakenly triggered a hijacking alert on his flight, temporarily bringing operations at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to a partial halt Wednesday.
The false alarm brought the Dutch Royal Military Police to the airport, where they closed down portions of the facility due to a "suspicious situation."
Rumors of hostages and firearms spread, but about an hour after the alert, Spanish airline Air Europa said the scare was mistakenly triggered.
"False Alarm. In the flight Amsterdam - Madrid, this afternoon was activated, by mistake, a warning that triggers protocols on hijackings at the airport. Nothing has happened, all passengers are safe and sound waiting to fly soon. We deeply apologize," the airline tweeted.
FlightAware reported an average delay of 41 minutes at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
