Flights across Europe are being disrupted and diverted due to a wave of suspected bomb threats targeting multiple commercial aircraft and airports.
According to Reuters, at least seven flights and a cruise ship in Europe received bomb threats on November 3, which disrupted airports. Among the affected flights and airports was a LOT Polish Airlines flight from London Heathrow to Warsaw Chopin Airport, which later diverted to Warsaw-Modlin Airport. The airport briefly closed while officials searched the plane, but found no device.
A Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) flight from Copenhagen to Warsaw Chopin landed as scheduled without incident. Chopin Airport said it detected no device and that airport services remained operational.
The Guardian reported that two flights to Warsaw, two to Sofia, two to Rome and one to Murcia Airport in Spain were subjected to bomb threats. Additionally, Ryanair, Wizz Air, LOT Polish Airlines and Scandinavian Airlines were among those affected.
Multiple European airports and passenger flights experience a wave of bomb threats
At least seven commercial flights across Europe as well as an Israel-bound cruise ship docked in Greece received bomb threats in early November.
A BBC report said two Ryanair flights, one from Dublin and the other from Lisbon, were searched after they landed in Rome. However, no explosives were found. Authorities also searched planes in Poland, Bulgaria and Spain.
On November 3, counter-terrorism units inspected a Wizz Air flight from Bergamo, Italy, to Sofia, Bulgaria, but found no device. A Wizz Air flight from London to Sofia was diverted to Budapest Airport after receiving a bomb threat.
Hungarian Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said in a Facebook post that Hungarian Gripen fighter jets “took to the air within minutes” after NATO’s air-defense service alerted them. The fighter jets escorted the aircraft safely to Budapest airport. Afterward, authorities inspected the plane, but found no explosives.
While speaking to the BBC, Bulgaria’s border police said in a statement:
“Standard procedures for such incidents were immediately activated, and an operational headquarters comprising representatives of various institutions was convened.”
A Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen to Warsaw-Chopin Airport, Poland, landed safely before undergoing security checks. A Panama-flagged Crown Iris cruise ship on the Greek island of Syros was also among the affected transport. The bomb threat triggered the evacuation of 1,537 passengers and crew. An explosives detection dog and a diver searched the ship after an unidentified person reported that an explosive device had been attached to the boat’s hull, as reported by CNN.
Marco Chan, a former pilot for Cathay Pacific Airways and Hong Kong Airlines, told the BBC that a bomb threat is considered “genuine until it is resolved, even though most turn out to be hoaxes.” Crews search toilets, galleys and storage areas and will not touch a suspicious item unless they have to take it to a specific area on the aircraft designated as the least risky bomb location.
The UK government said in a statement that it had “one of the most robust aviation security systems in the world, with well-tested processes for dealing with any potential threats, as well as malicious hoax threats, like those we’ve seen today.”
