The airline at the centre of a major security operation at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has apologised, saying the whole incident was an accident.
Military police were sent to the airport to deal with what authorities called a "suspicious situation" onboard an Air Europa plane.
At the height of the panic, emergency authorities called it "an incident or serious event with major consequences for the population".
News outlets inititally reported a possible attempted hijacking onboard an aircraft. There were also reports of a bomb threat being made.
Access to the terminal was closed and armed police were positioned around the airport.
But it all turned out to be a false alarm, with the airline tweeting: "False Alarm. On the flight Amsterdam - Madrid, this afternoon, a notice was activated by mistake that launches protocols on hijackings at the airport.
"Nothing has happened, all the passengers are perfectly looking forward to flying soon. We're sorry."
Newshub.
