Overview
- A Ryanair Boeing 737-8 MAX (registration EI-IKJ) turned back to Porto after takeoff on Tuesday following the captain’s transmission of transponder code 7500, the universal signal for hijacking or unlawful cockpit intrusion.
- Air Traffic Control activated standard emergency procedures, cleared surrounding airspace and vectored the aircraft back to Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport within about 35–37 minutes of departure.
- An unnamed 48-year-old Brazilian passenger had told cabin crew she was being followed and handed written claims to staff; authorities removed and identified her after the aircraft landed.
- Ryanair described the incident as a “false security report,” the flight later resumed and arrived in Dublin several hours late after an approximately two-and-a-half-hour delay.
- Transponder code 7500 routinely triggers high-priority responses from ATC, law enforcement and defence agencies, which can cause rapid operational disruption even when reports are not confirmed.