Seven passenger flights across Europe were searched on Nov. 3 after bomb threats, with no explosives found on any of the aircraft. The flights were bound for Rome, Warsaw, Murcia and Sofia; authorities have not confirmed whether the threats were connected.
Two Ryanair flights, from Dublin and Lisbon, were inspected after landing at Rome’s Fiumicino airport. Police bomb disposal teams checked the aircraft, passengers and luggage, and the alerts were cleared.
In Poland, a flight from London Heathrow was diverted to Warsaw-Modlin, which closed temporarily during the response. The airport later reported that emergency services had completed their checks. A Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen landed at Warsaw Chopin as planned after also being targeted.
A Ryanair flight from Manchester was searched after landing in Murcia, Spain. The Guardia Civil found no explosives. Authorities evacuated and checked 114 passengers and seven crew members, according to Europa Press.
Bulgaria’s transport minister, Georgi Peev, said the two Sofia-bound planes were travelling from Bergamo and Dublin. Both were checked after arriving, with no explosives found, Radio Bulgaria reported.
The UK government described the threats as “malicious hoax threats” and said established aviation security procedures had been activated. The BBC reported that authorities in several countries were assessing whether the incidents were coordinated, but no common source had been confirmed.
Reid Bentley