False Bomb Alerts on Four Civilian Flights Bound for Europe
Four civilian flights faced bomb alerts that were later proven false, following thorough searches that found no explosives.
Translated by Qiyas from كويت نيوز — Original source
Four civilian aircraft bound for European airports faced bomb alerts on Tuesday, which were later determined to be false, according to statements by the relevant national authorities.
The alerts affected two flights bound for Warsaw: one from Copenhagen and another from London’s Heathrow Airport, as well as a flight from Manchester, UK, to Murcia, Spain, and another from Bergamo, Italy, to Sofia.
No explosive devices were found on any of the aircraft after they were searched.
This comes a day after an alert targeted a Wizz Air flight traveling from Luton Airport in England to Sofia, which was forced to make an emergency landing in Budapest, escorted by two Hungarian fighter jets.
A similar alert on October 18 caused an Austrian Airlines flight traveling from Tel Aviv to Vienna to be diverted to Bulgaria, where no explosives were found on board.
The Tuesday alerts also affected a SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) flight bound from Copenhagen to Warsaw’s Chopin Airport.
After landing, the aircraft underwent security procedures following “information about a dangerous object on board,” according to an airport spokesperson speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Piotr Rodzki stated that one of the airport’s runways was closed, but this did not affect operations. He added that “searches concluded around 12:20 (11:20 GMT), and the airport returned to normal operations.”
The airline confirmed to AFP that the flight received a bomb threat.
The other alert concerned a LOT Polish Airlines flight traveling from Heathrow to Warsaw’s Chopin Airport, prompting authorities to divert it to Warsaw Modlin Airport.
The Boeing 737 Max landed safely, but air traffic was temporarily suspended.
Adam Chaplowski, spokesperson for Modlin Airport, told AFP, “Passengers were evacuated and the aircraft underwent security checks. Nothing was found,” confirming that airport operations had resumed.
In Spain, a Ryanair flight from Manchester to Murcia faced a similar alert, according to the Spanish airport operator AENA.
AENA clarified that the aircraft landed on schedule and without incident at the city’s eastern airport around 10:30 (09:30 GMT), and emergency measures were lifted around 13:00 after Spanish police completed their searches.
For its part, the UK Civil Aviation Authority declined to comment on these incidents.
In Sofia, a Wizz Air flight from Bergamo was searched after landing at 11:10 (09:10 GMT), according to a spokesperson for the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior, who confirmed that no suspicious items were found.
