F-16s intercept cargo plane in Dutch airspace after bomb threat

On Tuesday, two Belgian F-16 fighter jets intercepted a cargo plane from China in Dutch airspace and escorted it to Liege Airport. The reason for this was a bomb threat, which later turned out to be false, said Christian Delcourt, a spokesperson for Liege 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 Liege, the aircraft's final destination, the Ministry of Defense said. It was an Air China Cargo plane.

The authorities received a bomb threat for the Boeing 777, which later turned out to be false, the spokesperson for Liege Airport reported. The aircraft landed in Liege after 8:00 p.m. without any problems. Several airport hangars were evacuated in connection with the landing. The airport spokesperson said the airline itself made the report following rumors of threats against other Chinese planes on social media.

The F-16s flew faster than sound in the Netherlands, and it is possible that people heard a dull bang as a result. The Netherlands and Belgium alternately monitor the airspace for a few months at a time. Two fighter aircraft are permanently available for deployment.