The British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA) has set out the exact procedures followed on board an aircraft when a bomb threat is received, following a fresh wave of threats against planes on Thursday.
Thursday's alerts marked the second batch this week, after several aircraft, including some departing from the UK and Ireland, were subject to hoax security alerts on Tuesday. Multiple flights were diverted across Europe, including an Aer Lingus service from Dublin to Rome that had to land in northern France.
How threats are assessed
Joji Waites, BALPA director of flight safety, policy and regulation, said: “Aviation has historically been a target for bomb threats, but the industry has well-proven mechanisms for dealing with such threats.”
When a threat is notified to the airline, it is passed to a team of assessors. They use standard processes to grade it as Red (credible), Amber (partially credible) or Green (not credible). Amber is not considered an appropriate assessment if the plane is airborne.
If a threat is assessed as not credible, staff on the plane will not be informed. However, when a threat is assessed as credible (red or amber), the flight crew is informed immediately and will carry out company procedures for a credible bomb threat.
Captain takes command
From the moment the flight crew is notified of a credible bomb threat, the captain is in command and makes all decisions, guided by the appropriate checklist, for the safety of the aircraft. Usually, if a plane is still on the tarmac that means an evacuation, and if it is in the air, the priority is to land as soon and as safely as possible.
Waites added: “Pilots are highly trained and skilled professionals. Their expertise is invaluable in ensuring passenger safety and keeping aviation one of the safest forms of transport there is.”
Flights affected on Thursday
At least eight flights were confirmed to have been targeted with bomb threats on Thursday, including services from Copenhagen, Helsinki, Madrid, Milan and Warsaw. Among them was a Ryanair flight from London Stansted Airport heading for Sofia, Bulgaria, which was diverted and landed safely in Plovdiv, according to the Associated Press. Most diverted to other airports for emergency landings, while others landed safely at their destinations.
Regarding the Dublin to Rome Aer Lingus flight, a statement from the French prime minister's office said the A320 aircraft was diverted to the Evreux air base and landed safely. “The 151 passengers and six crew members were brought to safety and the bomb disposal teams intervened,” the statement added.
Aer Lingus said: “Aer Lingus flight EI402 from Dublin to Rome diverted to Normandy this morning as a security precaution. The flight landed safely and Aer Lingus will work to reaccommodate customers to their final destination as soon as possible.”
Finnish airline Finnair confirmed two of its flights, one from Helsinki to Rome and another from Helsinki to Vienna, had also faced “unfounded or hoax” bomb threats on Thursday. Both aircraft landed at their destinations and passengers disembarked safely, the company said. In Rome, the Finnair plane was inspected and nothing out of the ordinary was found, while checks on the aircraft in Vienna are continuing. There were 144 passengers and seven crew members aboard the flight to Rome and 177 passengers and six crew on the Vienna flight.
Wizz Air said two of its flights had been subject to bomb threats on Thursday – one from Milan to Bucharest, which landed safely at its destination, and another scheduled to fly from Milan to Warsaw, which landed safely in Vienna after being diverted. The airline said it was “co-operating fully with the relevant authorities” and taking “all necessary steps to ensure the safety of everyone onboard”. It added: “The safety and security of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority.”
