Aviation security expert Paul Mason noted that bomb threats on passenger aircraft are relatively rare, making the recent incidents unusual.
“It appears the threats were credible and targeted a wide variety of airlines,” Mason told BBC 5 Live, adding that this pattern indicates a deliberate, organized actor rather than random, malicious calls.
He explained that numerous procedures must be followed by both cabin crew and ground personnel to assess the credibility of a threat.
Mason added that a flight may be instructed to divert if the threat reaches a certain credibility threshold, and in some instances the crew may not receive detailed information about the ground operators’ actions.
In Rome, sources at Fiumicino Airport reported that police bomb disposal experts applied standard security protocols to safeguard all passengers and crew.
Inspections of passengers, luggage, and the aircraft returned negative results, and the alert was subsequently cleared.
A Ryanair flight arriving in Murcia, southern Spain from Manchester was also inspected and found to contain no explosives, according to Spanish authorities.
A passenger later said she only learned of the bomb threat after the plane had landed.
“We weren’t informed of anything during the flight,” Sarah told BBC 5 Live, noting that the aircraft stopped abruptly and was held on the runway for about 30 minutes.
“Then fire engines arrived, followed by the bomb squad, and we were instructed to evacuate,” she added.
Sarah said the aircraft had been on the ground for less than a minute when it was surrounded by fire engines, police, and the bomb squad. Passengers were then escorted by police, leaving their belongings behind.
“We were later informed that it was a genuine bomb threat to the aircraft,” she added.
Two flights destined for Warsaw were also impacted, including one arriving from London Heathrow.
The Heathrow flight, originally scheduled to land at Warsaw’s main Chopin Airport, was diverted to the smaller Modlin Airport, temporarily causing its closure.
A Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen to Warsaw‑Chopin Airport landed as scheduled.
Later on Tuesday, Bulgarian Transport Minister Georgi Peev stated that there were bomb threats against two aircraft bound for the capital, Sofia.
He told the state‑owned Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) that the flights originated from the northern Italian city of Bergamo and Dublin, Ireland.
The flights into Sofia were not diverted, and no explosives were discovered during inspections, Peev said.
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