Bomb threats disrupt flights across Europe, no explosive devices found 

A series of bomb threats against passenger flights across Europe has prompted emergency searches, briefly shut down an airport outside the Polish capital, Warsaw, and led the Italian Air Force to escort a Ryanair plane into Rome.

All of the threats on Tuesday turned out to be false.

At least seven flights and an Israel-bound cruise ship were targeted, according to officials. All of the planes landed safely, and searches found no explosives.

The airlines affected included Ryanair, Wizz Air, Scandinavian Airlines and the Polish carrier LOT. Ryanair, the Irish budget carrier, appeared to be the hardest hit, with four of its flights to different destinations being targeted.

No one claimed responsibility, and officials did not attribute blame.

The incidents came a day after a plane headed for Bulgaria was diverted to Hungary after receiving a similar bomb threat while in the air.

Airport closure

In Poland, two Warsaw-bound flights were targeted.

Scandinavian Airlines Flight SK751 from Copenhagen landed without incident at Warsaw Chopin Airport, which closed a runway while the plane was inspected.

“The passengers disembarked, the plane landed normally; it was not an emergency landing,” Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji, a spokesperson for the airline, told the Polish news agency PAP. She said the matter has been referred to the Polish police.

A LOT Polish Airlines flight from London’s Heathrow, which was also due at Chopin, was diverted to the city’s second airport, Warsaw Modlin, which was closed after the alert.

The plane, a Boeing 737 Max, landed safely. “Nothing was found,” said Adam Szablowski, a spokesman for Modlin. Airport officials said normal operations later resumed.

In Italy, two Eurofighter jets escorted Ryanair Flight FR9611 from Dublin into Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, where it landed at 10:45am local time, the airport’s operator said.

The Italian Air Force said it had responded immediately to “a report of a suspected threat aboard a civilian aircraft”.

An earlier Ryanair flight from Lisbon that landed at Fiumicino at 9:40am was also subjected to anti-bomb procedures. Checks of passengers, luggage and the plane “were all negative and the alert was lifted,” the operator said.

In Spain, Aena, the national airport operator, said it had activated an emergency protocol “due to a bomb alert” on a Ryanair flight from Manchester.

The plane landed in Murcia at 10:30am without incident.

In Bulgaria, a Wizz Air flight from Bergamo, Italy, was inspected after landing in the country’s capital, Sofia, a spokesperson for the Bulgarian Interior Ministry said. A Ryanair flight from Dublin to Sofia was also targeted, the country’s transport ministry said. No explosives were found on either plane.

The threats followed a similar episode on Monday, exwhen a Wizz Air flight from London’s Luton Airport to Sofia received a bomb threat in midair and was diverted to Budapest.

Hungarian Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said on Facebook that NATO’s air-defence alert service had flagged the flight. He said Hungarian Gripen fighter jets “took to the air within minutes” and escorted it safely to the ground.

‘Hybrid’ attacks

In the United Kingdom, London’s Metropolitan Police said it had been made “aware of threats against … four aircraft due to depart from or arrive at Heathrow Airport”, one of Europe’s busiest hubs, on Tuesday.

It also received a further warning involving a flight at Manchester Airport.

After checks, police said “no security issues were identified,” without giving further details.

Late on Tuesday, the Greek Coast Guard said a Panama-flagged cruise ship, the Crown Iris, had been evacuated while anchored off the island of Syros after a bomb threat.

The ship was carrying about 1,500 passengers and crew and was bound for Haifa, Israel. No device was found, and the ship was expected to resume its voyage.

While no country pointed fingers over the bomb threats, they came at a time when European officials have been blaming both Russia and Iran for what they describe as “hybrid attacks” and acts of sabotage.

Moscow and Tehran both deny any such campaign.

This week, unidentified hackers shut down fridges in supermarkets in several European countries. Some experts said hoax bomb threats could be part of a similar pattern of low-cost, deniable disruption efforts.

Rhys Jones, analysis output manager at aviation risk advisory firm Osprey Flight Solutions, said that seven confirmed bomb threats in a single day affecting flights was exceptional.

“The lack of clear target state, airline or route indicates that general disruption to aviation operations is the aim,” Jones told Reuters.