Brussels (Belgium) - Distressing scenes on board Ryanair flight FR6313. Shortly after landing at Brussels-Charleroi Airport, a bomb threat was apparently issued. In the meantime, a 500-meter-wide security zone was set up around the aircraft. Special forces are said to have stormed the aircraft.

As the news site 7sur7 reports, there was a major police operation at Brussels-Charleroi Airport on Tuesday. A bomb was reported on board a Ryanair Boeing coming from Faro (Portugal).

The plane with 166 passengers on board touched down safely at around 10.56 am. The police set up a 500-meter-wide exclusion zone around the aircraft. Meanwhile, the passengers had to wait in the plane.

Shortly before 1 p.m., heavy police forces advanced towards the plane.

Passenger Arnaud toldRTL Info about the dramatic scenes.

"We saw that the plane was surrounded by police and special forces. The special forces entered the plane. There was total panic. And then they started shouting: 'All heads down!' We said to ourselves, it's going to explode now, that's what was going through our heads."

The smaller of the two airports in the Belgian capital was completely closed for the duration of the operation. Several flights had to be diverted to other airports.

It has not yet been conclusively confirmed whether there was actually a bomb on board. The runway was reopened at around 1.45 pm.

"Ryanair was informed today, May 13, of a security threat on flight FR6313 from Faro to Brussels-Charleroi. The aircraft landed safely and on schedule in Charleroi. The passengers have disembarked and the aircraft is currently being prepared for further operations. We sincerely apologize to all passengers affected," a Ryanair spokesperson told TAG24.

First reported on May 13, 2025, 2:36 p.m., last updated on May 14 at 9 a.m.