At least 16 flights across Europe were targeted by bomb threats on Thursday, prompting fighter jets to be scrambled in France, Italy and Bulgaria and forcing several aircraft to divert. The disruptions came a day after hoax bomb threats targeted at least 27 flights across the continent.
Affected services included flights from London Stansted, Glasgow and Newcastle, while London Heathrow and Birmingham airports also received bomb threats in the early hours. Both incidents have since been resolved. Several aircraft were diverted, including an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome, which landed at a military base in France.
Security alerts at airports across the continent
Prague Airport confirmed it received threats issued to an aircraft at the airport, with its Security Operations Command Centre activated under the direction of Czech police after an anonymous warning about possible explosives on board. All four affected aircraft landed safely and were moved to remote stands, where police carried out security searches. The airport said: "All passengers safely disembarked from the aircraft and received their baggage once all necessary security measures had been completed." It added: "The situation had no significant impact on other airport operations."
Danish police said they were investigating threats directed towards air traffic at Copenhagen airport. Two flights departing from and arriving in Rome were also targeted, with an email warning sent to Aeroporti di Roma, the company running Rome's Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino (FCO) and Giovan Battista Pastine–Ciampino (CIA) airports.
Airlines confirm threats and inspections
Finnair confirmed that two of its flights, AY1761 from Helsinki to Rome and AY1471 from Helsinki to Vienna (operated by Jettime), faced "unfounded or hoax bomb threats" on 5 November. Both flights landed safely, with more than 300 passengers disembarked. The Rome-bound plane was met by local authorities upon landing, and following inspections, "nothing out of the ordinary was found". The airline said the plane would "soon" be able to fly back to Helsinki.
Wizz Air confirmed that its Milan Malpensa–Warsaw flight (W4 6387) was diverted to Vienna following a bomb threat received during the flight, and that its Milan Malpensa–Bucharest Otopeni flight was subject to a bomb threat. Nearly 190 people were evacuated from the Bucharest-bound plane, which landed safely. Checks were still ongoing at Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport, with the Romanian Intelligence Service confirming no threats were identified.
LOT Polish Airlines confirmed no suspicious items were identified during an inspection of flight LO235 from Warsaw to Brussels. Air Serbia issued a statement on the security threat on flight JU102 from Belgrade to Bucharest, saying the aircraft landed safely and the threat was assessed as unfounded. Iberia confirmed that threats received by flight IBE668 from Milan to Madrid and flight IBE658 from Rome to Madrid were false alarms.
Authorities respond to the threats
Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jets took off from Graf Ignatievo Air Base at 10.11am local time (8.11am GMT) to "escort three incoming passenger flights from European cities following email bomb threats". Flights FR6410 and FR3606 landed at Vasil Levski Airport in Sofia, while flight FR1730 from London Stansted to Sofia was diverted to Plovdiv Airport. Operations at both Sofia Airport and Plovdiv Airport have returned to normal.
Czech police said reports of "an improvised explosive device" were made against four planes heading to Prague, adding: "We assess the credibility of threats as low. We do not underestimate the threat, which is why all necessary security measures have been activated with the least possible impact on passengers and airport operations." Inspections at Prague Airport concluded with no suspicious findings, and the investigation was taken over by the National Counterterrorism, Extremism and Cybercrime Agency of the Czech Republic.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, EU transport commissioner, said it is "too early" to say whether all the recent bomb threats are linked. He said: "Any threats against civilians are unacceptable. Ensuring the safety and security of citizens remains a priority. We are closely monitoring the situation and are in contact with the affected Member States and the European Aviation Safety Agency."
