Passenger aircraft directed over military exclusion zone

Airline Industry Information, June 25, 2002

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2002 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

A KLM Royal Dutch Airlines aircraft was reportedly directed to fly into a military exclusion zone by air traffic controllers at the Swanwick control centre, Hampshire, UK.

The aircraft - a Fokker 70, carrying 35 passengers - flew into airspace 20,000ft above the Army range at Salisbury Plain, during a flight from Amsterdam to Bristol, UK on 19 June 2002. At the time of the incident gunners were firing 155mm rounds capable of exploding 50,000ft in the air.

According to the UK newspaper, The Sun, an Army radar operator spotted the aircraft and ordered a ceasefire.

The National Air Traffic Services has launched an investigation into the incident, which occurred just two days after a near collision between two Heathrow-bound British Airways aircraft directed by a trainee controller at the centre, reported PA News.

Passengers aboard a second KLM aircraft were forced to wait on the tarmac at Cardiff International Airport, Wales, after they were unable to gain access to the terminal building.

The 50 passengers, who had disembarked from a flight from Amsterdam, were reportedly forced to wait for about 15 minutes until the entrance door was unlocked, according to icWales.

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