Bomb threats force over 10 passenger planes into emergency landings in Europe

More than 10 passenger planes made emergency landings in Czechia, Bulgaria, Italy, Belgium and Austria due to a series of bomb threats in Europe. Authorities are investigating whether the threats, which proved unfounded, were part of a hybrid attack.

Bomb threats targeting passenger planes put air traffic across Europe on alert. Anadolu Agency's review found that four planes were forced to make emergency landings in Czechia, three each in Bulgaria and Italy, and one each in Belgium and Austria. Authorities are investigating whether the threats were part of a hybrid attack and who was behind them.

Czech police said they had received threats claiming that explosives had been placed on four planes bound for the capital, Prague. Police said the threats were considered unlikely to be credible but were not being taken lightly, and that preparations had been made with airport authorities for the planes' landings. A plane traveling from Warsaw to Brussels also made a safe landing at Brussels Airport following a threat; Belgium's federal police said no additional measures were deemed necessary and launched an investigation into whether the incident was linked to the threats reported in recent days.

Fighter jets provided escorts

In Bulgaria, three Ryanair passenger planes arriving from London, Copenhagen and Madrid landed under an emergency protocol following bomb threats. The London-Sofia flight, carrying 184 passengers, was diverted to an airport near Plovdiv, while the other two planes were directed to Vasil Levski Airport in Sofia. Bulgaria's Defense Ministry said MiG-29 fighter jets from the Air Force took off and escorted the passenger planes until they landed.

In Italy, a Finnair plane operating the Helsinki-Rome route landed at Rome Fiumicino Airport escorted by fighter jets from the Italian Air Force after anonymous threats were received. Following an inspection by bomb disposal teams, the threat was found to be unfounded. Finnair Communications Director Stiina Tuunanen said, "Flight safety is, of course, our top priority. We take this very seriously. Our staff are well trained for situations like this." An Aer Lingus plane traveling from Dublin to Rome with six crew members and 151 passengers made an emergency landing at Evreux-Fauville Air Base in France.

Roma Fiumicino Havalimanı

Alerts also reported in Vienna, Salzburg and Copenhagen

A Wizz Air plane that took off at 07:00 local time for its Milan Malpensa-Warsaw flight also made an emergency landing in Vienna, the capital of Austria, because of a bomb threat. A large-scale police operation was launched at Salzburg Airport following another threat; entry checks were tightened, but the terminal was not evacuated and flights were not disrupted. The plane used for Polish national carrier LOT's Warsaw-Paris service and its baggage were also thoroughly checked, with no dangerous substance found.

In Denmark, bomb threats targeting two planes that landed at Copenhagen Airport were also found to be unfounded after searches by the Danish Armed Forces' Ammunition Disposal Service; Copenhagen police launched an investigation. Similar threats have been made one after another across Europe in recent days: bomb threats targeting two planes arriving in Rome from Lisbon and Dublin on Nov. 3 were found to be unfounded, while a passenger plane departing from Israel made an emergency landing in Sofia the same day after a threat was received by email. No one has claimed responsibility for the threats so far, and no explosives have been found on any of the planes.

Photos: Anadolu Agency, Wikimedia Commons

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Bomb threats force over 10 passenger planes into emergency landings in Europe