Bomb threats target seven flights across Europe

What the report says

European authorities checked seven passenger aircraft after a series of suspected bomb threats that affected flights in Poland, Spain, Bulgaria and Italy, with two of the planes having departed from the UK. BBC World News reported that the incidents involved multiple airlines and routes, including Ryanair flights from Dublin, Lisbon and Manchester, as well as services headed to Warsaw and Sofia. In several cases, the aircraft were escorted or diverted before landing, and police and bomb disposal teams carried out inspections.

In Rome, the two Ryanair flights that arrived at Fiumicino airport were searched after anonymous alerts, but officials found no explosives. Spanish authorities said a Ryanair flight that landed in Murcia was also cleared after checks. In Poland, one flight bound for Warsaw was diverted to Modlin airport, briefly closing that airport, while another Warsaw-bound service landed normally. Bulgarian officials said two flights to Sofia, from Bergamo and Dublin, were also subject to threats and were checked without finding any device.

The BBC said it was not yet clear whether the cases were connected, though officials from several countries were co-operating to determine whether the alerts were coordinated. The UK government called the threats malicious hoaxes. Aviation specialists quoted by the BBC said such threats are treated seriously until resolved, even if they often prove false, because crews and ground teams must quickly assess whether a diversion or evacuation is needed.