European Air Travel: Seven Flights Inspected After Wave of False Bomb Threats

European aviation authorities responded to a coordinated series of false bomb threats on Tuesday, forcing the inspection of at least seven flights and one cruise ship. The incidents disrupted operations in Poland, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, and the United Kingdom, but all vessels landed safely and searches yielded no explosive devices.

Ryanair, the Irish budget carrier, was affected by four separate threats. In Italy, two Eurofighter jets escorted a Ryanair flight from Dublin into Rome’s Fiumicino Airport at 10:45 a.m. local time. Italian Air Force officials stated they reacted to a report of a suspected threat aboard the civilian aircraft. An earlier Ryanair flight from Lisbon also underwent anti-bomb procedures at Fiumicino, with all checks returning negative results.

In Poland, two flights bound for Warsaw were targeted. Scandinavian Airlines Flight SK751 from Copenhagen landed at Warsaw Chopin Airport, prompting a temporary runway closure for inspection. Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji, a spokesperson for the airline, told the Polish news agency PAP that the plane landed normally and was not an emergency landing. A LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 737 Max from London’s Heathrow was diverted to Warsaw Modlin, which closed operations briefly. Adam Szablowski, a spokesman for Modlin, confirmed that nothing was found and normal operations resumed later.

Bulgarian officials inspected two aircraft in Sofia: a Wizz Air flight from Bergamo and a Ryanair flight from Dublin. The Bulgarian Interior Ministry and transport ministry confirmed no explosives were present. In Spain, Aena, the national airport operator, activated emergency protocols for a Ryanair flight from Manchester that landed in Murcia at 10:30 a.m. without incident. London’s Metropolitan Police reported threats involving four aircraft at Heathrow and one at Manchester, finding no security issues after checks.

The wave of threats followed a similar incident on Monday, when a Wizz Air flight from London’s Luton Airport to Sofia was diverted to Budapest after an in-flight alert. Hungarian Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi noted that NATO’s air-defence alert service flagged the flight, and Gripen fighter jets escorted it to the ground. Late on Tuesday, the Greek Coast Guard evacuated the Crown Iris, a Panama-flagged cruise ship carrying about 1,500 people, after a bomb threat while it was anchored off Syros. The ship was bound for Haifa, Israel, and resumed its voyage after no device was found.

Rhys Jones, analysis output manager at aviation risk advisory firm Osprey Flight Solutions, told Reuters that seven confirmed bomb threats in a single day is exceptional. He noted that the lack of a clear target state, airline, or route suggests the aim was general disruption to aviation operations. European officials have recently attributed "hybrid attacks" and sabotage to Russia and Iran, though both Moscow and Tehran deny the campaign. The incidents coincide with recent hacks that shut down supermarket fridges in several European countries, a pattern some experts describe as low-cost, deniable disruption.