Hoax Bomb Threats Disrupt European Travel

Six flights across Europe were disrupted after bomb threats prompted aircraft inspections, emergency landings or diversions in Poland, Spain, Italy and Bulgaria. In Warsaw, two flights were subject to threats. A LOT Boeing 737 MAX carrying 181 people from London Heathrow to Warsaw Chopin Airport was diverted to Warsaw-Modlin, where specialists inspected it after an unscheduled landing. Modlin airport temporarily closed and later resumed operations. A separate SAS flight from Copenhagen landed at Chopin as scheduled; Polish authorities said its threat was not confirmed. It was unclear whether the two Warsaw incidents were connected. In Rome, two Ryanair flights arriving from Lisbon and Dublin were searched at Fiumicino Airport following anonymous tips. The Dublin flight was escorted by the Italian Air Force. Inspections of passengers, luggage and aircraft found no threat, and the alert was cleared. A Ryanair flight from Manchester made an emergency landing at Murcia airport in Spain after a threat. The regional government’s delegate said 121 people, including crew, were aboard. In Bulgaria, a flight from Israel landed at Sofia airport after a bomb threat was sent by email. Counter-terrorism units checked the plane for possible explosive devices. The incidents followed a similar event the previous day, when a Wizz Air flight from London Luton made an emergency landing in Budapest after a bomb threat and was escorted by a Hungarian fighter jet. The article reports the disruptions and authorities’ responses, while noting that the Warsaw threats’ possible connection had not been established.

Seven passenger aircraft across Europe were inspected after suspected bomb threats, including two flights that had departed from the UK. Two Ryanair flights, from Dublin and Lisbon, were searched after landing in Rome; a Ryanair flight from Manchester was checked in Murcia, Spain; and two flights bound for Warsaw, including one from London Heathrow, were affected. Threats were also reported against flights arriving in Sofia from Bergamo and Dublin. Authorities reported finding no explosives on the aircraft, and the alerts were cleared. The Heathrow flight was diverted to Warsaw-Modlin, briefly closing that airport, while the Dublin flight to Rome was escorted by the Italian Air Force. Although officials had not established a connection between the incidents, authorities across countries planned to assess whether they might represent a coordinated effort to disrupt airspace. The UK government called the incidents malicious hoax threats and said its aviation security systems had established procedures for handling them. Aviation security experts described the number and apparent breadth of the threats as unusual and said threats are treated as genuine until resolved. They explained that crews and ground authorities assess credibility, may divert flights, and follow procedures for searching aircraft and managing suspicious items. Passengers on the Manchester flight said they were not informed during the flight; after it stopped on the runway, emergency services arrived and passengers were evacuated. Separately, a bomb alert led to the evacuation of 1,537 people from the Crown Iris cruise ship in Greece; initial checks found no explosives. The incidents followed a bomb threat the previous day against a Wizz Air flight from London Luton, which made an emergency landing in Budapest under fighter-jet escort. Security checks on that aircraft also found nothing.

At least seven flights and an Israel-bound cruise ship received bomb threats across Europe on Tuesday, disrupting airport operations, but searches found no explosives. The threats affected flights to Warsaw, Sofia, Rome and Murcia, with a separate flight to Sofia threatened the previous day. A Warsaw airport briefly closed, Italy’s air force escorted a plane to Rome, and Greek authorities searched a cruise ship at the port of Syros. No one claimed responsibility, and officials did not attribute the threats to any country or group. In Bulgaria, threats were reported against flights from Bergamo and Dublin to Sofia; both aircraft landed safely and inspections found no devices. A Wizz Air flight from London to Sofia had been diverted to Budapest the day before. In Spain, a threat against a Ryanair flight from Manchester to Murcia proved to be a hoax. In Italy, security teams searched two Ryanair flights arriving in Rome from Lisbon and Dublin without finding explosives; the Italian air force accompanied the Dublin flight. In Poland, a LOT flight from London was diverted to Modlin airport, which temporarily closed. Searches found nothing, and passengers were to be taken by coach to Warsaw’s Chopin Airport. Chopin also received a threat concerning an SAS flight from Copenhagen; passengers disembarked after the aircraft landed normally, and police were notified. Hungary’s defence minister said a Gripen fighter jet had escorted the previous day’s threatened Wizz Air flight to Budapest, where an inspection found no threat. In Greece, an explosives-detection dog and a diver searched the Crown Iris after an unknown person claimed a device was attached to its hull. Initial checks found no explosives, though further inspections were expected. Aviation risk analyst Rhys Jones called seven threats in one day exceptional and said the apparent aim was general disruption. The article notes that European officials have blamed Russia and Iran for other alleged hybrid attacks, which both countries deny. Some experts suggested the hoaxes might fit a broader pattern of low-cost, deniable disruption, but no link was established.

A series of bomb threats targeted flights serving airports in Poland, Spain, Bulgaria and Italy on Tuesday, prompting diversions, evacuations, security checks and, in some cases, temporary airport disruption. Polish authorities inspected two aircraft. A LOT flight from London Heathrow made an unscheduled landing at Warsaw-Modlin, which temporarily closed; passengers were evacuated and no explosives were found. A SAS flight from Copenhagen landed safely at Warsaw Chopin and was also inspected, with no explosives detected. Authorities had not established whether the threats were connected. A Ryanair flight from Manchester to Murcia, Spain, landed safely and was checked after passengers disembarked. Regional official Francisco Lucas said police ruled out explosives, and the airport resumed normal operations. Separately, a flight from Israel landed in Sofia, Bulgaria, following an emailed threat. Counter-terrorism units searched the plane, according to a Bulgarian news agency citing an Interior Ministry official. Italian media reported two further threats against Ryanair flights from Lisbon and Dublin to Rome’s Fiumicino airport. Air Force jets were deployed, but both alerts proved false. The article describes six threats on Tuesday, following a separate incident on Monday in which a Wizz Air flight from London to Sofia was diverted to Budapest after a mid-air threat. It says similar incidents have occurred at European airports in recent weeks, with alerts later determined to be false.

Several flights in Europe received bomb threats on Tuesday, prompting airport searches, diversions and other security measures. Authorities and airlines later reported that the threats described in the article were hoaxes or that searches found no explosives. No injuries were reported. The incidents followed a similar threat the previous day that caused a Bulgaria-bound flight to divert to Hungary. The affected carriers included LOT, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), Wizz Air and Ryanair. In Italy, two Ryanair flights headed to Rome were subject to threats. One arrived from Lisbon and was searched at Fiumicino Airport; another, from Dublin, was escorted there by the Italian Air Force. Police bomb-disposal experts searched passengers, crew and baggage on the Lisbon flight and found no explosives. The article says the same security procedures were conducted for the Dublin flight, also without explosives being found. In Poland, a LOT flight from London Heathrow to Warsaw was diverted to Modlin Airport, which temporarily closed. LOT said a search found nothing on the aircraft, and passengers were to be taken by coach to Warsaw’s Chopin Airport after border control. Modlin later said it had resumed normal operations and there was no real threat. Chopin Airport also responded to a report about a potentially dangerous item on an SAS flight from Copenhagen. The plane landed normally, passengers disembarked, and one runway was closed as standard safety procedures were implemented. SAS referred the matter to Polish police. Spanish officials ruled out explosives on a Ryanair flight from Manchester that landed in Murcia. The aircraft and its 121 passengers and crew were checked. A flight-threat adviser offered several possible explanations for the incidents, including copycat threats, a single person or group making multiple threats, or state-linked “hybrid warfare.” He noted the geopolitical context but advised travelers not to be alarmed, citing coordinated responses by authorities. The supplied article cuts off during its Bulgaria section, so its account of that incident is incomplete.

A series of reported bomb threats involving commercial flights across Europe on Tuesday prompted aircraft inspections, airport closures, flight diversions and military escorts. Authorities in Italy, Poland, Spain and Bulgaria reported no explosives or other threats on the affected planes, and no one was injured. The airlines named included LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air and Ryanair. The incidents followed a similar threat the previous day that forced a Wizz Air flight bound for Bulgaria to divert to Hungary. Matthew Borie of Osprey Flight Solutions said the unexplained threats could stem from copycat behavior, one person or group making multiple threats, or hybrid-warfare activity by state actors or their supporters. He noted that Europe has recently faced other disruptions, including attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems, drone incursions and suspicious alerts. While he said a Russian connection was possible, he cautioned that Iranian hybrid activity was also active in parts of Europe. He urged travelers not to be alarmed, pointing to coordinated responses by national authorities and, in some cases, NATO or national fighter jets. In Italy, two Ryanair flights bound for Rome were reported to have received threats; searches found no explosives, and Eurofighters escorted one aircraft. In Poland, a LOT flight from London diverted to Modlin, temporarily closing the airport, while a separate SAS flight from Copenhagen landed normally as safety procedures were carried out. Spanish authorities ruled out explosives aboard a Ryanair flight from Manchester to Murcia, which carried 121 people. Bulgarian authorities said two aircraft at Sofia airport had also received threats and inspections found no explosives. Separately, Greece investigated a threat against the cruise ship Crown Iris at Syros. No suspicious objects were found in the initial search, but the ship’s 940 passengers and 597 crew were being evacuated as a precaution while further checks were planned.

At least four passenger flights in Europe received suspected bomb threats on Tuesday, leading to emergency procedures and inspections in Poland, Spain and Bulgaria. All four aircraft landed safely, and authorities reported no confirmed explosives in the incidents described. Police and counter-terrorism teams were deployed, while passengers were evacuated or screened as needed. Two flights were affected in Poland. A LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 737 MAX travelling from London Heathrow to Warsaw Chopin Airport was diverted to Warsaw-Modlin after an alert at 9:54 a.m. local time. It landed seven minutes later with 181 people aboard, including 16- and 17-year-old Jewish students on a school delegation. Passengers were evacuated and the plane inspected in an isolated area. Modlin Airport temporarily closed, then resumed operations. A Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen landed normally at Warsaw Chopin Airport after a separate threat; police investigated while airport operations continued. In Spain, a Ryanair flight from Manchester made an emergency landing in Murcia. It carried 121 people, including crew, according to the Spanish government’s regional delegate. In Bulgaria, a flight from Israel landed at Sofia after an emailed threat. Counter-terrorism units checked for possible explosives. Local reporting indicated an El Al service from Tel Aviv was the only flight arriving from Israel that morning, and Bulgarian public broadcaster BNT said the warning also affected various institutions. The alerts followed a Monday threat against a Wizz Air flight from London Luton to Sofia, which diverted to Budapest under escort by a Hungarian Gripen fighter jet. Wizz Air said checks found nothing suspicious. The article also notes similar recent warnings involving flights connected with Israel, including an Austrian Airlines diversion and two Delta Air Lines flights in October. Authorities had not established whether Tuesday’s threats were connected and treated each as a separate security matter.