Several flights across Europe were subjected to alleged bomb threats Tuesday. All of the warnings proved unfounded, but they triggered aircraft searches, diversions and, in one case, a fighter-jet escort by the Italian Air Force.
The airlines involved included LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air and Ryanair. The incidents occurred one day after a flight bound for Bulgaria was diverted to Hungary following a similar in-flight bomb threat. No injuries were reported.
Matthew Borie, co-founder and chief intelligence officer at Osprey Flight Solutions, which advises airlines on security threats, outlined several possible explanations. The incidents could involve copycat threats, a person or group issuing multiple warnings, or “hybrid warfare” conducted by state actors or their supporters.
Bomb threats against aircraft are “not a new phenomenon,” Borie said. However, the latest incidents come amid heightened geopolitical tensions and a series of disruptions across Europe, including attacks targeting supermarket refrigeration systems, drone incursions and unexplained alerts on emergency apps. Authorities have repeatedly warned that hybrid threats are becoming more common.
Because the incidents have centered on Europe, “there could be a Russian angle,” Borie said. He cautioned, however, that “Iranian hybrid warfare is just as active in certain pockets of Europe as well.”
His advice to travelers was straightforward: “Don’t be alarmed.” Borie noted that national authorities have “coordinated response mechanisms” in place, including the deployment of NATO or national fighter jets to escort civilian aircraft when necessary.
Italy
A Ryanair flight from Lisbon landed at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport Tuesday morning after officials received an email claiming that a bomb was aboard, according to a Fiumicino official familiar with the incident.
Police bomb-disposal specialists searched the aircraft, passengers, crew and luggage but found no explosives.
A second Ryanair flight, traveling from Dublin to Rome, was also the subject of a bomb threat. No explosives were discovered, the official said. The person spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to comment publicly.
The Italian Air Force said it scrambled two Eurofighter jets to “intercept and escort” a plane headed for Rome. The operation began immediately after authorities received a report of a suspected threat aboard a civilian aircraft flying from Dublin to Rome Fiumicino.
Poland
In Poland, a LOT flight from London’s Heathrow Airport to Warsaw Chopin Airport was diverted Tuesday morning to nearby Modlin Airport after a bomb threat, the Polish Press Agency, PAP, reported. Modlin was temporarily closed.
LOT said a search of the aircraft at Modlin found nothing suspicious. Airport officials later confirmed that normal operations had resumed, though they did not disclose additional details about the threats.
Warsaw’s Chopin Airport also received a report about a potentially dangerous item aboard an incoming Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen, PAP reported. The airport communications office said standard security procedures were activated and one runway was closed.
“The passengers disembarked, the plane landed normally; it was not an emergency landing,” SAS spokesperson Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji told PAP. She said the case had been referred to Polish police.
Spain
Spanish authorities ruled out explosives aboard a Ryanair flight from Manchester that landed at Murcia Airport in southern Spain after a bomb threat.
Passengers and crew underwent security checks, while specialists searched the aircraft, Francisco Lucas, the Spanish government’s delegate in the Murcia region, said on X. The flight was carrying 121 people, including crew members.
Bulgaria
Authorities in Bulgaria found no explosives on two aircraft at Sofia International Airport after both received bomb threats while in flight Tuesday, Transportation Minister Georgi Peev said, according to the state news agency BTA. A Ryanair flight from Lisbon landed at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport Tuesday morning after officials received an email claiming that a bomb was aboard, according to a Fiumicino official familiar with the incident.
Police bomb-disposal specialists searched the aircraft, passengers, crew and luggage but found no explosives.
A second Ryanair flight, traveling from Dublin to Rome, was also the subject of a bomb threat. No explosives were discovered, the official said. The person spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to comment publicly.
The Italian Air Force said it scrambled two Eurofighter jets to “intercept and escort” a plane headed for Rome. The operation began immediately after authorities received a report of a suspected threat aboard a civilian aircraft flying from Dublin to Rome Fiumicino.
Hungary
The latest threats came a day after a Wizz Air flight departing from Luton Airport near London was diverted to Hungary following a bomb warning received while the aircraft was airborne.
Hungarian Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said Monday on Facebook that a Hungarian Air Force Gripen fighter was dispatched to intercept the Wizz Air plane and escort it safely to Budapest’s Liszt Ferenc International Airport.
Wizz Air told state news agency MTI that authorities searched the aircraft and inspected its passengers but found no threat.
On Tuesday, Bulgaria’s acting Interior Ministry Secretary General Lyubomir Nikolov told reporters that investigators were still working to identify the person who sent the warning.
Last month, a flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing in Bulgaria after receiving a bomb threat.
Greece
Greek authorities were investigating a bomb threat involving the Crown Iris, a Panamanian-flagged cruise ship operated by an Israeli company, at the port of Syros in the Aegean Sea.
A preliminary search by coast guard officers, a sniffer dog and a diver found no suspicious objects aboard the ship Tuesday. A specialist diving unit was traveling to the vessel for additional checks, the coast guard said.
The Crown Iris, which was scheduled to sail for Haifa with 940 passengers and 597 crew members aboard, was evacuated as a precaution, officials added.
The ship’s presence in Greek ports has sparked protests in the past, primarily from activists opposing Israel’s war in Gaza.
