European flights face false bomb threats triggering emergency landings

A wave of false bomb threats disrupted commercial aviation across the continent on Tuesday, Yahoo News reported, triggering emergency landings, military fighter escorts, and temporary airport shutdowns in multiple countries. The security scares affected at least seven international passenger flights within a matter of hours, forcing emergency services into rapid action from Poland and Spain to Italy and Bulgaria.

The continent-wide disruption began early on Tuesday as multiple flights received anonymous tips, emails, or in-flight alerts. According to The Standard, a LOT Polish Airlines flight operating from London Heathrow to Warsaw was forced to divert from its intended destination at Chopin Airport. The Boeing 737 MAX, carrying 181 people according to Abc reporting, touched down at Warsaw Modlin Airport after a threat was announced in flight. Modlin Airport was temporarily closed while specialists examined the aircraft, though operations later resumed once the threat was called off.

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Simultaneously, a Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) flight traveling from Copenhagen to Warsaw also faced a suspected threat. The aircraft landed normally at Chopin Airport, where passengers disembarked safely before authorities inspected the plane and determined the threat was unconfirmed, as detailed by BBC coverage. Further south, a Ryanair service departing from Manchester experienced an emergency landing in Murcia, southern Spain. Francisco Lucas, the Spanish government’s delegate in the Murcia region, stated via social media that the 114 passengers and seven crew members disembarked safely before the Guardia Civil and bomb squads inspected the aircraft, ultimately ruling out the presence of explosives and restoring normal operations at the airport.

The chaos extended to Italy, where two Ryanair flights arriving from Lisbon and Dublin were subjected to intensive security checks at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport following anonymous tips. Sources at the airport confirmed to the BBC that the Dublin flight was escorted by the Italian Air Force until landing. Bomb disposal experts executed standard security protocols across passengers, luggage, and the aircraft themselves, yielding entirely negative results. Bulgarian officials faced a similar scenario; while initial local media reports suggested an inbound flight from Israel had landed in Sofia following an email threat, the Bulgarian Transport Ministry subsequently clarified to Express that the threats involved aircraft traveling from Bergamo, Italy, and Dublin, Ireland. Bulgarian interior officials deployed counter-terrorism units to inspect those planes, confirming no explosive devices were present.

These Tuesday incidents built directly upon a dramatic security event on Monday, when a Wizz Air flight from London Luton to Sofia was forced to abandon its route over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Hungarian defense officials confirmed that a Gripen fighter jet was scrambled under a NATO ALPHA alert to intercept and escort the Airbus A321neo into Budapest's Ferenc Liszt International Airport, where emergency services awaited its landing.

For passengers caught in the middle of the disruption, the experience was jarring. Sarah, a passenger aboard the Manchester-to-Murcia flight, described to BBC 5 Live how passengers were kept entirely unaware of the bomb threat while airborne. The aircraft braked suddenly upon landing and remained on the tarmac before being swarmed by fire engines, police units, and a bomb squad. Travelers were ordered to evacuate immediately and leave all personal belongings behind on the aircraft.

Security agencies across multiple European jurisdictions continue to investigate the origin of the coordinated hoax threats. Further updates from national police forces and aviation authorities are expected as intelligence services attempt to trace the source of the anonymous tips and emails that grounded planes across the continent.

For ongoing developments regarding international transit security and related global updates, consult our dedicated World coverage.