Multiple flights in Europe diverted following bomb threats
Several aircraft across the continent made emergency landings or were diverted after receiving reports of explosives on board.
Several flights across Europe were forced to make emergency landings or diversions following bomb threats, according to reports from Rediff and Deccan Chronicle. The incidents involved various airlines, including Finnair, Ryanair, LOT Polish Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), and Wizz Air.
In Italy, a Ryanair flight from Lisbon landed at Rome’s Fiumicino airport on Tuesday morning after an email reported a bomb on board. The Italian Air Force confirmed it scrambled two Eurofighters to intercept and escort a separate Ryanair flight travelling from Dublin to Rome. Police bomb disposal experts searched the passengers, crew, and baggage but found no explosives.
Finnair reported that its Flight 1761 from Helsinki to Rome was targeted by a threat. The aircraft landed in the Italian capital and was inspected, but Finnish broadcaster Yle reported that nothing suspicious was found. Similarly, a LOT flight from London’s Heathrow Airport to Warsaw’s Chopin Airport was diverted to Modlin Airport, where searches yielded no explosives.
Three Ryanair flights heading to Sofia, Bulgaria, also faced threats. Two flights, arriving from Copenhagen and Madrid, landed at Sofia's Vasil Levski Airport. A third flight from London’s Stansted Airport was diverted to Plovdiv, where Plovdiv Airport CEO Krassimir Peshev said the plane landed safely.
Matthew Borie, co-founder and chief intelligence officer of Osprey Flight Solutions, suggested the incidents could be caused by copycat threats, a single group, or hybrid warfare by state actors. Borie noted that there could be a Russian or Iranian angle to such disruptions and advised travellers not to be alarmed due to coordinated response mechanisms.