Saudi Airlines plane hijack alert after pilot 'mistakenly hit distress call twice'

A Saudi Airlines passenger plane was feared hijacked after a pilot mistakenly made a distress call - twice. Management of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila

have revealed the button was unintentionally pushed "but the problem was it was pushed twice".

Flight 872 travelling from the Red sea city of Jeddah to Manila was placed in isolation on the runway as a full-scale emergency response swung into action. The pilot had advised the control tower before landing that the Boeing 777 plane, believed to be carrying about 300 passengers, was "under threat".

Authorities surrounded the jet, parked in an isolated area of the airport.

Passengers on board later revealed they were not told what was happening but were told to take out their passports for verification.

Reports soon emerged the alert was a false alarm.

A pilot had mistakenly activated a "Squawk 7500" code, an emergency code signalling to air traffic controllers that the aircraft had been hijacked, Gulf News reported.

Saudi Airlines said on its Twitter account: "False alarm for hijacking SV flight#872".

Manila airport manager Eddie Monreal said authorities deployed security forces around the aircraft as a precaution.

TV stations showed Flight SV872 parked near a ramp with security personnel standing nearby while passengers descended from a staircase.

Passengers were later allowed to disembark.

Mr Monreal said the captain told the control tower that a button indicating a hijacking was in progress had been pushed by accident.

"We instructed (the) aircraft to proceed to (the) isolated area," he said.

"It is fortunate that upon landing ... the crew said they made a mistake. However, we can never play around with safety and security.

"It (the button) was unintentionally pushed. But the problem is it was pushed twice."

Monreal added that the plane would be checked thoroughly anyway as a security precaution.

In a text message to Reuters, Roberto Lim, undersecretary for aviation at the Department of Transportation, said police were "still monitoring as to why a hijack signal was issued by the pilot".

He added "persons will be interviewed".- Mirror