Captain of Ryanair flight FR7073 transmitted hijack code before returning to Porto

PORTO, Portugal — A Ryanair flight bound for Dublin was forced to make a sudden emergency return to Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport following a potential security incident in the cockpit.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737-8 MAX carrying registration EI-IKJ, had just departed Porto Airport on its scheduled route to Ireland. As the jet climbed through 12,000 feet, the captain transmitted squawk code 7500 into the transponder, the universal aviation emergency code indicating a hijack attempt or an unlawful intrusion into the flight deck.