False Bomb Threat Hoaxes Disrupt European Flight Operations; Safe Landings Reported Across Multiple Routes

Several flights across Europe were disrupted Tuesday after alleged bomb threats were later determined to be hoaxes, officials said. No injuries were reported among the incidents, which affected carriers including Polish airline LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air, and Ryanair. Searches and diversions were prompted across multiple routes.

A Ryanair flight from Lisbon landed at Rome’s Fiumicino airport Tuesday morning after an email reported a bomb on board, according to a Fiumicino official. Police bomb disposal teams conducted security checks of passengers, crew, and baggage, finding no explosives. In a separate case, Italy’s Air Force escorted another Ryanair flight from Dublin to Fiumicino after a similar threat, with identical inspections also yielding no dangerous materials.

Polish carrier LOT diverted a morning flight from London Heathrow to Warsaw Chopin Airport to Modlin Airport after a bomb threat. The Modlin airport was temporarily closed, but later resumed operations, stating no real threat existed. LOT confirmed the aircraft search was completed with “nothing found on the aircraft.” Passengers underwent border control and were transported to Chopin Airport by coach.

A Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen to Warsaw Chopin Airport received information about a potentially dangerous item. Airport officials closed one runway and implemented standard safety procedures. Passengers disembarked normally; the SAS spokeswoman said it was not an emergency landing. The carrier is focusing on providing care to passengers and crew, and the matter has been referred to Polish police.

Spanish authorities ruled out explosives on a Ryanair flight from Manchester that landed at Murcia Airport after a bomb threat. The flight carried 121 people, including crew. Passengers and crew underwent security checks, and the aircraft was inspected, said the Spanish government’s delegate in the Murcia region on X.

Bulgarian authorities inspected two aircraft at Sofia International Airport that had received bomb threats en route, originating from Bergamo, Italy, and Dublin, Ireland. Neither had been diverted. Inspections by the Specialized Counter-Terrorism Unit found no signs of explosives. Minister of Transportation Georgi Peev said the initial threat information was based on a report from the pilot via the airline, and Bulgarian air traffic control followed standard protocols for safe landing in Sofia.

The series of incidents follows a Monday event in which a Wizz Air flight departing Luton Airport near London was forced to divert to Hungary after a bomb threat inflight. Hungarian Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said a Gripen fighter jet from the Hungarian Air Force escorted the plane safely to Liszt Ferenc International Airport in Budapest. Wizz Air and authorities later found no threat aboard the aircraft. Bulgaria’s acting Interior Ministry Secretary General Lyubomir Nikolov said on Tuesday that investigators were still working to identify the sender of the threat.

Last month, a flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing in Bulgaria following a bomb threat. Authorities continue to investigate the origins of the recent wave of hoaxes.

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