Four passenger flights were targeted by suspected bomb threats and landed at European airports on Tuesday, November 3.
This prompted security inspections in Poland, Spain, Bulgaria, and Italy. However, no explosives were found in any of the incidents.
Which flights were affected?
A LOT Polish Airlines flight from London Heathrow to Warsaw Chopin was diverted to Warsaw Modlin Airport after “information on an explosive device on board” was received.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8, carrying 181 people, landed at about 10:01 a.m. local time. Bomb disposal teams inspected the aircraft and luggage, and the airport temporarily closed before reopening.
In Spain, a Ryanair flight from Manchester to Murcia landed as scheduled, where police and a bomb disposal unit met the aircraft. The Civil Guard ruled out explosives, and the airport resumed activity.
A Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen to Warsaw was also checked after a similar threat, and Bulgarian media reported a plane from Israel landed at Sofia airport after an email threat.
Two Ryanair flights at Rome Fiumicino, from Lisbon and Dublin, were searched after anonymous tips; the Dublin flight was escorted by the Italian Air Force.
Who’s behind it?
No one has claimed responsibility. However, Poland has warned it faces a major escalation in Russia’s hybrid war campaign against NATO allies. Polish counter-terrorism police were deployed to Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave, on Monday after warnings of an incoming sabotage attack or armed incursion, working alongside the army, border guard, and intelligence services.
Airports have resumed normal operations, but passengers should check flight status before travelling. Anyone with information is asked to contact authorities.
