Europeupdated 42m ago2 min read
MapBomb Threats Disrupt Flights To Warsaw, Sofia, Rome, And Murcia; No Explosives Found
“At least seven flights and a cruise ship in Europe received bomb threats on Tuesday”
“Seven passenger planes across Europe, two of which departed from the UK”
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Seven passenger planes across Europe received bomb threats; several diverted or landed under emergency protocols. Flights targeted Warsaw, Sofia, Rome, and Murcia; Murcia-bound Ryanair diverted for emergency landing.
Save coverage image
Hoax threats across Europe
Seven passenger aircraft and a cruise ship in Europe received bomb threats on Tuesday, disrupting airports while authorities found no explosives. The threats targeted at least two flights to Warsaw, two to Sofia, two to Rome and one to Murcia airport in Spain, and an airport in Warsaw briefly shut as a result.
The Italian Air Force accompanied one of the flights to Rome while an Israel-bound cruise ship was searched for bombs in Greece. A Ryanair flight from Manchester to Murcia landed in southern Spain’s Murcia airport after a bomb threat, and Spanish officials ruled out the presence of explosives.
Escorts, diversions, and searches
In Poland, a LOT flight from London’s Heathrow airport to Warsaw’s main Chopin airport was diverted to Warsaw-Modlin airport after a bomb threat, and the Modlin airport later said there was no real threat and it had resumed normal operations. In Italy, a Ryanair flight from Lisbon landed in Rome’s Fiumicino airport after an email reported a bomb on board, and the Italian Air Force escorted a second Ryanair flight to Fiumicino after another email reported a bomb on a flight bound from Dublin.
In Spain, Francisco Lucas said the Guardia Civil did not find explosives on the Ryanair flight from Manchester that landed in Murcia, and the aircraft and its passengers were searched. In Bulgaria, Georgi Peev said authorities found no signs of explosives on two aircraft at Sofia International Airport after bomb threats, and the flights from Bergamo and Dublin were inspected by officers of the Specialized Counter-Terrorism Unit.
Security systems and uncertainty
The UK government described the incidents as "malicious hoax threats," and the government said it had "one of the most robust aviation security systems in the world" with well-tested processes for dealing with potential threats. Aviation security expert Paul Mason told BBC Radio 5 Live that bomb threats on passenger planes "don't happen that frequently," which made the latest incidents "unusual."
In Murcia, the Spanish airport operator Aena activated a security protocol set for these cases and placed the matter in the hands of the Guardia Civil after seven passenger aircraft reported bomb warnings. In Sofia, Bulgaria’s border police said at around 10:35 (08:35 GMT) it received an email about "the presence of an improvised explosive device on a flight returning from Bergamo," and it said standard procedures were immediately activated and an operational headquarters convened.