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The panic prompted a major security lockdown at the busiest airport in the Netherlands and third busiest in Europe. Air Europa said in a statement: "In a plane from Amsterdam to Madrid tonight an alarm was accidentally activated which set off safety protocols at the airport. There was no cause for alarm, all passengers were fine and waiting for the flight to take off."

he Spanish airline added: "We are sorry, there was no cause for alarm.”

The major security alert has been triggered at the airport with emergency services rushing to the scene and investigating a “suspicious situation” on board a plane.

Heavily armed military police surrounded the plane at the airport in the Netherlands, with several ambulances also seen arriving.

Dutch emergency authorities issued a “Grip 3 report,” a procedure usually initiated in case of “an incident or serious event with major consequences for the population.”