Multiple European flights diverted following bomb threats
Several aircraft made emergency landings or were diverted across Europe on Thursday after receiving bomb threats, according to authorities.
Multiple flights across Europe were forced to make emergency landings or diversions on Thursday following bomb threats, according to reports from the Kashmir Observer and Rediff.
Finnair Flight 1761, travelling from Helsinki to Rome, was targeted by a threat. The aircraft landed in the Italian capital and a subsequent inspection by authorities found nothing unusual on board, according to the Finnish broadcaster Yle.
Three Ryanair flights heading to Sofia, Bulgaria, also faced bomb threats. Two of these flights, arriving from Copenhagen and Madrid, landed safely at Vasil Levski Airport, airport officials said.
The third Ryanair flight, which departed from London's Stansted Airport, was diverted to Plovdiv. Plovdiv Airport CEO Krassimir Peshev confirmed the aircraft landed safely at the airport in Bulgaria's second-largest city.
The Deccan Chronicle reported that other airlines, including LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, and Wizz Air, also faced hoax threats on Tuesday. These incidents prompted searches and diversions, with one flight being escorted by the Italian Air Force.
Matthew Borie, co-founder and chief intelligence officer of Osprey Flight Solutions, suggested the unexplained incidents could be caused by a single threat triggering copycats, an individual or group making multiple threats, or hybrid warfare by state actors.