Amsterdam airport
The Airbus escorded by one of the two F16 fighters that forced it to land (Twitter) Twitter

A plane flying to Amsterdam has been forced to land by F16 fighters in a false alarm that suggested a hijacking.

The fighters were scrambled after Schipol control tower reportedly lost contact with the Airbus, which was flying from Malaga.

Amid fears on a hostage situation, the grounded passenger jet was surrounded by Dutch military police at Schipol airport, even though flight operator Vueling insisted that it was all a misunderstanding.

After conducting a thorough search of the plane, police agreed that there was no terrorist threat.

It is reported that 180 passengers were on board the flight.

"There was never any danger. There was a lack of communication between the pilot and the tower and the airport has activated the security protocol," a spokeswoman for Spanish carrier Vueling told Reuters.

In May 2011, the same Vueling flight VY8366 from Malaga to Amsterdam was intercepted by two France Mirage jets - again following radio transmission problems.

Communications were reinstated within a short time and the plane was not forced to land.

Passengers filmed the escort jets and uploaded the footage to YouTube.

The hijack false alarm was the second major incident to disrupt operations at the Amsterdam airport.

Earlier, part of Schiphol was closed and flights delayed after what is believed to be an unexploded World War II bomb was found near Pier C by workers digging in the area.