Seven planes across Europe have been searched or diverted after a series of bomb threats were made to passenger flights, prompting questions as to whether there was any coordination behind the warnings.
Two UK departures – one from Heathrow and one from Manchester – were among those threatened in what Downing Street called “malicious hoaxes”, though all planes landed safely and no explosives were found.
A UK Department for Transport source added that the low-level threats were “not credible” and that passengers should not be concerned, though the warnings disrupted flights and prompted investigations across the UK and Europe.
None of the incidents and subsequent searches threw up any evidence of terrorist activity, though authorities were responding to an unusual number of reported threats in one day.
One of Warsaw’s two main airports, Modlin, was briefly closed after receiving a diverted plane, with Polish officials confirming that they had received bomb threats involving two flights coming into the capital.
Italian fighter jets escorted a Ryanair plane into Rome following a warning of a suspected threat on a flight coming from Dublin. The flight landed safely and nothing untoward was reported as being found.
There was little obvious pattern surrounding the incidents, which affected flights taking off from the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Portugal and Italy and landing in Poland, Spain, Italy and Bulgaria. Four of the flights were operated by Ryanair, the others by Wizz Air, LOT and SAS.
Investigators added there was no immediate evidence of a hostile state being behind the threats, though they continued to monitor developments, sharing information across the continent while inquiries continued.
Aviation security fears have been reignited with the recent FlyDubai incident when a co-pilot allegedly attempted to crash a Tel Aviv-bound plane. Russia has also been accused of being behind firebomb threats targeting parcel carriers using cargo planes over the past two years.
The threats followed an incident on Monday when another flight from the UK to Bulgaria was diverted, apparently without substance.
Experts said that fake threats occur on a daily basis. Philip Baum, visiting professor of aviation security at Coventry University, said: “Most are from individuals who think it is funny or want to delay a flight for some reason. If the industry was to respond to every unsubstantiated threat, flights would grind to a halt.
“The reality is that terrorist organisations who might like to smuggle a bomb on to a flight don’t tell people, they claim responsibility after the attacks.”
But he added that the fact that some aircraft did divert would “imply that the threats are credible and specific in nature, and therefore one has to respond accordingly”.
Tuesday’s series of incidents started with a flight from Heathrow operated by the Polish carrier LOT, which was scheduled to arrive at Warsaw’s Chopin airport but was diverted to the second airport, further from the Polish capital, Modlin. Authorities closed that airport after the alert and the Boeing 737 Max landed without incident.
“The passengers were evacuated and the plane underwent security checks. Nothing was found,” spokesperson Adam Szablowski told AFP. “The airport has been reopened and is operating normally.”
A Scandinavian Airlines plane from Copenhagen to Warsaw was also the subject of a threat but landed at Chopin airport, where a security inspection that did not turn up any explosive devices closed part of the airport.
Another UK departure, a Ryanair plane from Manchester, was met by emergency vehicles on landing at its destination, Murcia in southern Spain, after another threat. Spanish regional authorities confirmed on social media that no explosives were found on the flight.
A UK government spokesperson said of the threats to two departures from Britain: “The UK has one of the most robust aviation security systems in the world, with well-tested processes for dealing with any potential threats, as well as malicious hoax threats, like those we’ve seen today.
“Our world-leading police and intelligence agencies work closely every day to keep us safe, using the tools they have to assess and respond to potential threats.”
In Italy, two Ryanair flights were searched at Rome’s Fiumicino airport following potential bomb threats, according to the airport operator ADR. The first was a flight from Lisbon, while a second later in the morning from Dublin was escorted in by Italian air force fighter jets until landing.
Bulgaria’s transport ministry said in a statement to Reuters that threats were made against a Wizz Air flight from Bergamo and a Ryanair flight from Dublin to the capital Sofia. Both flights were carrying about 180 passengers and landed safely, with no devices found.
The separate incidents came the day after a Wizz Air service from London Luton made an emergency landing in Budapest, escorted by a Hungarian fighter jet.
The plane, which was due to depart from Luton at 8.15am on Monday for Sofia, was diverted after a bomb threat was received “during the flight”, Wizz Air said.
Airlines abide by a regulated process to assess and manage bomb threats, although virtually all are fake. In the UK, airlines file a mandatory occurrence report to the Civil Aviation Authority.
Ryanair did not respond to requests for comment.
