Seven passenger flights across Europe were searched following suspected bomb threats, including two flights that had departed from the UK. Authorities in Italy, Spain, Poland and Bulgaria reported checks, with no explosives found on the aircraft described in the reports.
Two Ryanair flights, from Dublin and Lisbon, were inspected after landing in Rome. Sources at Fiumicino airport told the BBC that police bomb-disposal teams followed standard procedures and checks of the planes, passengers and luggage found nothing. The alert was later cleared. The Dublin flight was escorted by the Italian Air Force during its approach.
In Spain, a Ryanair flight from Manchester was searched after landing in Murcia. Spanish authorities said no explosives were found. A passenger told BBC Radio 5 Live that those on board were not informed during the flight; after landing, the plane stopped on the runway and passengers were evacuated by police.
Two flights bound for Warsaw were also affected, including one from London Heathrow. The Heathrow service was diverted from Chopin Airport to Warsaw Modlin, which was briefly closed. A Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen landed at Chopin as scheduled.
Bulgarian Transport Minister Georgi Peev said two flights arriving in Sofia, from Bergamo and Dublin, had been targeted. Neither was diverted, and checks found no explosives. Bulgaria’s border police said it received an email threat at around 10:35 local time and activated standard procedures.
Authorities have not established an official link between the incidents. Countries are co-operating to assess whether the threats were coordinated. The UK government called the incidents “malicious hoax threats” and said established processes were in place to respond to potential threats.
The incidents came a day after a Wizz Air flight from London Luton made an emergency landing in Budapest under escort from a Hungarian fighter jet. The airline said subsequent security checks found nothing.
Sources: BBC News World.