Six international flights were forced to evacuate on Tuesday after bomb threats were reported, just 24 hours after a flight from a London airport made an emergency landing. The affected flights on Tuesday all landed across Europe, where local authorities inspected the reports.
The incidents came one day after a flight from London Luton airport was forced to make an emergency landing in Budapest, escorted by a Hungarian fighter jet. It is not currently clear whether the threats are linked.
Flights affected on Tuesday
Six separate flights, travelling to and from cities across the continent, received bomb threats on Tuesday. Two flights, one from Lisbon and one from Dublin, both landed at Rome Fiumicino Airport. A flight from London Heathrow bound for Warsaw Chopin airport was diverted to Warsaw Modlin Airport. A flight from Copenhagen landed at Warsaw Modlin, a flight from Manchester landed at Murcia, and a flight from Israel landed in Sofia.
Sources at Rome Fiumicino airport said two Ryanair flights were searched following anonymous tips regarding potential bomb threats. One flight originated from Lisbon, while the other came from Dublin, with the Dublin flight escorted by the Italian Air Force before landing. Police bomb disposal experts carried out security protocols, and inspections of passengers, luggage, and the aircraft yielded negative results.
Heathrow and Copenhagen flights
The LOT passenger plane travelling from London Heathrow made an unscheduled landing at Warsaw Modlin on Tuesday morning carrying 181 people. A bomb threat was made while the plane was in the air. Modlin Airport was temporarily closed after the landing while specialists carried out security checks, and reopened at around midday. An airport spokesperson said officials were continuing to inspect the aircraft, and passengers and crew remained in the arrival halls awaiting further action. The airport added that several areas remain closed until further notice.
An SAS flight from Copenhagen to Chopin airport faced a bomb threat, according to Danish media, and landed as normal. A spokesperson for the airline said: “We can confirm that a threat has been made against flight SK751 between Copenhagen and Warsaw. The aircraft landed normally in Warsaw and the passengers have disembarked. We are following established security procedures while taking care of our passengers and crew. The matter is now being handled by the police in Warsaw, and we are following their instructions. We refer any further questions regarding the threat to the relevant authorities and the police in Warsaw.”
Manchester and Israel flights
Ryanair flight FR4116 from Manchester landed safely at Murcia airport in southern Spain following another threat. The flight, which had 114 passengers and seven crew members on board, landed at 10.50am local time on Tuesday. Francisco Lucas, the Spanish government's delegate in the region, said the Civil Guard has ruled out there being explosives on the plane following checks. The airport has now resumed normal activity, with Lucas thanking emergency teams.
A plane flying from Israel landed at Sofia airport after a bomb threat was received by email, according to local media. Counter-terrorism units were checking the plane for possible explosive devices, said interior minister Secretary General Lyubomir Nikolov.
Monday's emergency landing
A Wizz Air flight from London Luton was forced to divert on Monday following a mid-air bomb threat. The plane, travelling to Sofia in Bulgaria, was escorted by a Hungarian fighter jet and made an emergency landing at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International. A spokesperson for Wizz Air said authorities “carried out the necessary security checks on the aircraft and passengers”, and confirmed that an inspection had been “completed and nothing was found”. Hungarian defence minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendis confirmed his country provided the fighter jet to escort the flight. A UK Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson said: “We are aware of media reports but are unable to comment on the reported incidents.”
