LONDON — A wave of bomb threats against passenger airliners caused chaos in the skies and airports of Europe on Thursday, the latest of such incidents this week that have prompted emergency landings and security sweeps on runways.
No explosives have so far been found, and it is not clear who or what is behind the security threats made against at least 14 airliners. But the threats have caused disruption to Europe’s airspace and some of its busiest airports.
The threats against two flights that landed in Rome came by email that said it was made in opposition to “your feminist regime,” the airport confirmed to NBC News. Italy’s prime minister is a woman, Giorgia Meloni.
One of the first reports involved Aer Lingus Flight EI402 from Dublin to Rome, which changed course near Paris and diverted to a French air force base, the airline said. There, all 151 passengers and six crewmembers were evacuated while a bomb squad inspected the aircraft, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office said in a statement.
Confirmed flights threatened Thursday
- Aer Lingus EI402 from Dublin to Rome — received bomb threat over France, made emergency landing at air base and inspected by bomb squad, according to airline and French officials.
- Finnair AY1761 from Helsinki to Rome Fiumicino — escorted into Rome by Italian air force jets, bomb squad search found no explosives, airline said.
- Finnair AY1471 from Helsinki to Vienna — also received bomb threat, likewise no explosives found, according to airline.
- LOT Polish Airlines LO235 from Warsaw to Brussels — crew made midair checks after receiving threat, “additional screening” once in Brussels found no “suspicious items,” airline said.
- LOT Polish Airlines LO331 from Warsaw to Paris — stopped while taxiing and directed to parking stand where searched, airline said. Passengers continued on trips after switching planes.
- Ryanair FR3606 from Copenhagen to Sofia and Ryanair FR6410 from Madrid to Sofia — both landed normally following bomb threat, no explosives found, according to Bulgarian Transport Ministry.
- Ryanair FR1730 from London Stansted to Sofia — also received a bomb threat and diverted to Plovdiv, the Bulgarian Transport Ministry said.
- Wizz Air WMT3064 from Milan to Bucharest — airport said it was notified of the bomb threat as flight was arriving, bomb squad found nothing.
- Czech police say four unidentified flights headed for Prague have also received threats.
From there, reports of threats in the skies over Europe arrived at dizzying pace, triggering searches by cabin crews and then again by airport security once on the ground.
Security operations were launched at airports in Prague, Copenhagen and Warsaw, with passengers at the last seeing the military and police sniffer dogs patrolling the tarmac.
“It is too early to draw conclusions on whether the reported incidents are linked,” Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European commissioner for sustainable transport and tourism, told a news conference in Brussels, adding that “we don’t have information yet whether this is a cyber attack.”
A Finnair flight from Helsinki was escorted by Italian air force jets to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport “following anonymous reports of a suspected bomb threat,” according to a spokesperson for the city’s airport authority. Bomb disposal experts found nothing.
