At least seven flights and a cruise ship were targeted by hoax bomb threats on Tuesday, prompting military escorts, diversions, and security searches across Europe.
A series of hoax bomb threats targeted multiple commercial aircraft and a cruise ship across Europe on Tuesday, causing flight diversions, airport closures, and military escorts. Authorities confirmed that no explosives were found following security sweeps of the affected vessels and aircraft.
Several airlines were affected by the threats, including Ryanair, Wizz Air, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), and LOT Polish Airlines.
In Italy, the Italian Air Force scrambled two Eurofighter jets to "intercept and escort" a Ryanair flight traveling from Dublin to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport. A second Ryanair flight from Lisbon also landed at Fiumicino and underwent security checks; officials found no explosives.
In Poland, a LOT flight from London’s Heathrow Airport to Warsaw’s Chopin Airport was diverted to Modlin Airport. Modlin Airport was temporarily closed during the search, but Adam Szablowski, a spokesperson for the airport, said, “Nothing was found” and normal operations resumed.
Another flight, an SAS service from Copenhagen to Warsaw, landed at Chopin Airport. Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji, a spokesperson for SAS, told the Polish news agency PAP, “The passengers disembarked, the plane landed normally; it was not an emergency landing.”
In Bulgaria, two flights arriving in Sofia from Bergamo, Italy, and Dublin, Ireland, were inspected by counter-terrorism officers. Bulgarian Minister of Transportation Georgi Peev stated that no explosives were found on either aircraft.
In Spain, a Ryanair flight from Manchester landed at Murcia Airport, where authorities conducted inspections and found no explosives.
In Greece, authorities investigated a bomb threat against the Panama-flagged, Israeli-run cruise ship Crown Iris near the island of Syros. The ship was being evacuated as a precaution after an unknown person reported an explosive device had been attached to its hull. Initial searches by the coast guard found no suspicious objects.
Matthew Borie, co-founder and chief intelligence officer of Osprey Flight Solutions, provided several hypotheses for the incidents, including a single threat triggering copycat incidents, an individual or group making multiple threats, or "hybrid warfare" by state actors. Borie noted that such threats are "not a new phenomenon" and occur amid increased geopolitical tensions.
Rhys Jones, Analysis Output Manager at Osprey Flight Solutions, told Reuters that the lack of a clear target or route suggests the objective may be "general disruption to aviation operations."
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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