Seven flights in Europe have been disrupted by bomb threats, with planes searched at airports in Poland, Spain and Italy and another two aircraft diverted in Bulgaria.
Specialists inspected two passenger aircraft in Warsaw, one plane in Murcia, southern Spain, two planes in Rome and two planes in Bulgaria.
One of the Warsaw flights was travelling from London Heathrow to the Polish capital’s main airport, Chopin, with 181 people on board.
It was diverted to Warsaw Modlin airport, where specialists examined it after an unscheduled landing.
“At 9:54 am, a bomb threat alert was announced on board an aircraft operating a flight on the route London Heathrow (LHR) — Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW),” the airport said in a statement.
“At 10:01 am, a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft landed at Warsaw/Modlin Airport.”
Warsaw-Modlin airport temporarily closed but later said it had resumed operations.
A spokesperson for Polish airline LOT confirmed it was a LOT flight.
An SAS aircraft flying from Copenhagen lands at Warsaw Chopin Airport after receiving a bomb threat. (Reuters: Piotr Bozyk)
A second flight, from Copenhagen to Chopin airport, was also the subject of a bomb threat but the Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) aircraft landed as scheduled, and an airport spokesperson said the airport was continuing operations.
Polish authorities said that the threat on the SAS flight was not confirmed. It was not immediately clear whether the both incidents were linked.
Two inspected in Rome
Two Ryanair flights from Lisbon and Dublin were searched at Rome’s Fiumicino airport following anonymous tips about suspected bomb threats.
The flight from Dublin was escorted by the Italian Air Force until landing.
Bomb disposal experts carried out security protocols to ensure the safety of all passengers and crew.
Inspections of the passengers, luggage, and aircraft presented negative results, and the alert was cleared.
Spain and Bulgaria flights disrupted
In Spain, a Ryanair plane flying from Manchester made an emergency landing at Murcia airport after another threat was received.
Francisco Lucas, the Spanish government’s delegate in the Murcia region, said 121 people were on board, including crew.
Bulgarian media also reported that a plane arriving from Israel landed at Sofia airport after a bomb threat was sent by email.
The BBC and the Guardian later reported a second plane was also the subject of a bomb threat.
BTA news agency quoted Interior Minister Secretary General Lyubomir Nikolov as saying counter terrorism units had checked the plane for possible explosive devices.
The incidents come one day after a Wizz Air flight from London Luton made an emergency landing in Budapest following a bomb threat. A Hungarian fighter jet escorted the plane.
Reuters
Source: www.abc.net.au
