Seven planes across Europe searched or diverted after ‘malicious hoax’ bomb threats

Unclear if series of incidents affecting two UK departures and a number of Ryanair services among others are connected

At least seven planes around Europe were searched or diverted after a series of bomb threats to passenger flights on Tuesday.

Two UK departures and a number of Ryanair flights were threatened in what the UK government called “malicious hoaxes”, after all planes landed safely and no explosives were found.

It was not clear if the incidents were linked, although authorities in Bulgaria and Italy said threats were made against two incoming Ryanair flights.

One of Warsaw’s two main airports 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.

The threats followed an incident on Monday when another flight from the UK to Bulgaria was diverted, apparently without substance.

Airlines are used to dealing with fake threats, and while none of the incidents and subsequent searches threw up any evidence of terrorist activity, authorities appear to have responded to an unusual number of reported threats in one day.

Security fears around aviation have been reignited with the recent FlyDubai incident when a co-pilot attempted to crash a Tel Aviv-bound plane.

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, 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 regionals 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 ‌on inspection.

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.

Ryanair did not respond to requests for comment.

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.

Philip Baum, visiting professor of aviation security at Coventry University, said that the industry had to deal with bomb threats “on a daily basis” around the world. He 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.”

However, 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”, he said.

Baum added: “Obviously we don’t ignore anything but we have to differentiate between the hoax call and the specific threat. In the vast majority of instances the aircraft carries on without diverting because it is regarded as a non-specific threat.”