Heavily armed military police have surrounded the plane at the airport in the Netherlands, with several ambulances also seen arriving. There are unconfirmed reports of a hostage situation. Dutch emergency authorities have issued a “Grip 3 report,” a procedure usually initiated in case of “an incident or serious event with major consequences for the population.” The incident is centred around an Air Europa A330-200 flight to Madrid.
Utrecht Central Station, the country’s busiest railway station, was quickly evacuated. It is unclear if this is linked to the incident at the airport.
Dutch news website NU said the Special Interventions Service has arrived at the scene.
Public broadcaster NOS has reported the pilot raised an alert relating to a hijacking or hostage situation.
There are reportedly 27 passengers and crew on board.
All aircraft located between Gate D and E24 have been grounded.
A spokesman for the military police said: “There is a suspicious situation and that’s all I can say.”
He declined to name the airline involved or provide further details.
The airport wrote on Twitter: “The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee is currently investigating a situation on board of a plane at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.”
One person commented on the social media platform: “Stuck on a plane just landed at Schiphol.
“We are waiting on the runaway taxing area. Just been told by captain about a serious incident.”
The Dutch military police have now confirmed passengers and crew have been taken safely off the plane.
But they added their investigation is ongoing.
Schiphol Airport is the third busiest in Europe, afternoon London’s Heathrow and Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.
This is a breaking story. More to follow.