Hoax bomb threats ground planes across Europe
Four flights faced false alarms on Tuesday, causing temporary closures in Warsaw and inspections in Spain, Bulgaria, and Poland.
By Paula Delgado ·
European aviation authorities reported four separate bomb threats on Tuesday that disrupted flights and forced temporary airport closures, though all aircraft landed safely and no explosives were discovered. The incidents affected airlines including SAS, LOT, Ryanair, and Wizz Air.
Two of the threats targeted planes arriving in Warsaw, Poland. One was an SAS flight from Copenhagen, and the other was a LOT Polish Airlines flight from London’s Heathrow Airport. The SAS aircraft, identified as flight SK751, arrived at Warsaw Chopin Airport. The airport closed one runway while ground crews inspected the plane. SAS confirmed a threat had been made against the flight and stated that passengers disembarked normally after the security check found no explosives.
The LOT flight, which was also scheduled for Chopin, was diverted to Warsaw Modlin Airport. Authorities closed Modlin following the alert. The Boeing 737 MAX landed safely, and passengers were evacuated for a full inspection. Adam Szablowski, a Modlin airport spokesman, told AFP that nothing was found and that the airport has since reopened and is operating normally.
In Spain, Aena, the national airport operator, activated emergency protocols for a Ryanair flight traveling from Manchester to Murcia. The plane landed without incident, and Spanish Civil Guard officers completed their checks. The emergency plan was deactivated after the inspection concluded. In Bulgaria, a Wizz Air flight from Italy’s Bergamo region was inspected after landing in Sofia at 9:10 a.m. GMT. A spokesperson for the Bulgarian interior ministry confirmed the inspection to AFP.
These incidents follow a similar event on Monday when a Wizz Air flight from London’s Luton Airport to Sofia was diverted to Budapest after a bomb threat. Hungary’s Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said on Facebook that NATO’s air defense alert service issued a warning for that flight. He noted that Hungarian Defense Forces Gripen fighter jets took off within minutes to ensure the safe landing of the passenger aircraft in Budapest.
The recent spike in threats comes roughly one month after a copilot on a flydubai jet bound for Israel attacked the captain with an axe. The copilot attempted to seize control of the plane and crash it into Ben Gurion Airport. The attempt failed when the injured pilot opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers to subdue the Omani crew member while relief pilots took the controls for an emergency landing.
In response to that incident, Israeli security officials announced a new set of strict rules this week. The directives require both foreign and Israeli airlines to submit detailed crew information 48 hours before departure. A previous bomb threat on October 19 forced an Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna to reroute to Bulgaria, where no explosives were found.
