Multiple planes diverted as bomb threats to commercial flights reported across Europe – live | France
All planes affected by bomb threats this morning
Here is a summary of all planes reportedly affected by bomb threats this morning – with the tally currently at 18:
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EI-DEH Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome, diverted to Evreux, France (9:55, 10:07, 10:25)
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FR6410 Ryanair flight from Madrid to Sofia (10:45)
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FR3606 Ryanair flight from Copenhagen to Sofia (10:45)
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FR1730 Ryanair flight from London Stansted to Sofia, diverted to Plovdiv, Bulgaria (10:45)
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LO235 LOT Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw to Brussels (10:48)
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W46387 WizzAir flight from Milan Malpensa to Warsaw-Okęcie, diverted to Vienna, Austria (10:52)
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AY1761 FinnAir flight from Helsinki to Rome Fiumicino (10:52).
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AY 1471 FinnAir flight from Helsinki to Vienna (11:06).
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Four currently unidentified flights at Prague airport (11:16)
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W43064 WizzAir flight from Milan-Malpensa to Bucharest (11:50).
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A3552 Aegean Airlines flight from Thessaloniki to Milan-Malpensa (12:17).
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FR8953 Ryanair flight from Porto to Milan-Malpensa (12:17).
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Three currently unidentified flights at Madrid airport (13:37).
Post last updated at 13:28 CET with the latest tally
Key events
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Air Serbia flight to Bucharest affected by bomb threat, airline says
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Heathrow, Birmingham hit by ‘not credible’ threats this morning
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‘Threats ruled out’ after security forces carried checks on three flights at Madrid airport
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Experts say multiplicity of hoax alerts point to coordinated action – snap analysis
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‘Too early’ to say if flight bomb threats are linked, EU commissioner says
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Three flights affected by hoax bomb threats in Madrid, authorities say
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Have you been affected by the bomb threats to flights in Europe?
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No threat confirmed after reported threat against WizzAir flight to Bucharest
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Two more bomb threats reported against Milan-bound planes
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‘No issues identified’ at three Ryanair flights to Bulgaria, ministry confirms
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Aer Lingus confirms diversion to France as ‘security precaution’
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Rome checks ‘with negative results,’ airport operations not affected
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No explosives found on four planes in Prague, police says, with counter-terror, cybercrime unit investigating
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FinnAir confirms two ‘unfounded or hoax bomb threats’ against its planes
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Another WizzAir flight reportedly affected in Romania
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Wizz Air confirms Milan-Warsaw flight affected, says ‘not the only airline targeted’
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LOT Polish Airlines confirms ‘no suspicious items found’ after earlier bomb threat
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Bomb threats reported against four planes heading to Prague
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Second threat against FinnAir’s flight today
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All planes affected by bomb threats this morning
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Two more planes affected by bomb threats, Italian media report
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Bomb threat reported against Polish plane flying to Brussels
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Bomb threats reported against three planes flying to Bulgaria
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Bomb squad in place to inspect plane with passengers, crew moved to safe place, France says
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Diverted flight to Rome lands in French military base after bomb threat
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Morning opening: Another bomb alert on a European flight
Air Serbia flight to Bucharest affected by bomb threat, airline says
Air Serbia has confirmed that one of its planes also received a bomb threat before safely landing in Bucharest, Reuters reported.
I will bring you more on this shortly.
Heathrow, Birmingham hit by ‘not credible’ threats this morning
The Press Association is reporting that two UK airports, Heathrow and Birmingham, received threats which were assessed as not credible, it is understood, as flights were diverted across Europe after a series of bomb alerts.
It is understood that operations at both UK airports have continued as normal, PA said.
A UK Government spokesperson said threats reported in the “early hours” of Thursday had been “resolved”.
“It’s right that authorities treat any potential threats seriously – the UK has one of the most robust aviation security systems in the world, with well-tested processes for dealing with any threats, as well as malicious hoaxes, like those we’ve seen this week.”
The Met’s Aviation Policing Command continues to monitor the situation and liaise with the relevant authorities.”
UK transport secretary Heidi Alexander earlier told broadcasters that she was aware of “malicious hoax threats” affecting “a small numbers of flights across Europe.”
The British Airline Pilots’ Association has issued a statement on reported bomb threats to commercial flights across Europe, explaining the what happens after an airline gets a bomb threat.
Joji Waites, BALPA Director of Flight Safety, Policy and Regulation, stressed that “aviation has historically been a target for bomb threats but the industry has well proved mechanisms for dealing with such threats.”
“When a threat to an aircraft has been notified to the airline the threat is passed to a team of assessors. These assessors use standard processes to grade the threat and decide whether the threat is Red (credible), Amber (partially credible) or Green (not credible). Amber is not considered an appropriate assessment if the plane is airborne.
If the threat is assessed as not credible staff on the plane will not be informed of it.
However, when a threat is assessed as credible (red or amber) the flight crew will be informed immediately and they will carry out company procedures for a credible bomb threat.”
Waites continued:
“From the moment the flight crew is notified of a credible bomb threat, commander of the aircraft – the captain – is in command and will make all the decisions, guided by the appropriate checklist, for the safety of their aircraft.
Usually if a plane is still on the tarmac that will mean an evacuation, and if it is in the air the priority will be to land the plane as soon and as safely as possible.
Pilots are highly trained and skilled professionals. Their expertise is invaluable in insuring passenger safety, and keeping aviation one of the safest forms of transport there is.”
Angela Giuffrida
in Rome
A source at Aeroporti di Roma (ADR), which manages the city’s two airports, confirmed Italian press reports that the hoax threats for the Helsinki-Rome and Dublin-Rome flights came from an anonymous email written in Italian with the subject heading “segnalazione minaccia” (“threat warning”).
The email was signed on behalf of “Fighters of the Male State” claiming to be targeting a “feminist regime” and wanting to make its “mark on history”.
The email, which was sent to ADR and affiliated businesses, also threatened to “turn the skies red” with explosions.
In an official statement, ADR said:
“The competent authorities are conducting the necessary investigations to establish the origin and circumstances of the threats, in accordance with established security protocols.
ADR Security played a key supporting role in managing both alerts, providing dedicated personnel to escort all vehicles operating beneath the aircraft, assist with baggage unloading operations, and carry out checks on both baggage and passengers.”
‘Threats ruled out’ after security forces carried checks on three flights at Madrid airport
While specific details regarding the three flights targeted in Madrid have not been disclosed, relevant security authorities have confirmed there is no active threat.
The airport’s press office confirmed to the Guardian only that:
“This morning, Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport received a bomb threat affecting three flights.
A security committee was convened under the coordination of the State Security Forces. Following an assessment and the relevant checks carried out by the security forces, the threats were ruled out.”
Experts say multiplicity of hoax alerts point to coordinated action – snap analysis
Gwyn Topham
Transport correspondent
Aviation experts say fake threats occur daily but the multiplicity of threats adjudged to be more credible, even if malicious hoaxes, appears to point to coordinated action.
Former airline pilot Captain Martin Drake, a technical advisor to the Balpa union, said airlines have security teams who assess each threat on a traffic light scale: green to keep going or red to be grounded, with an amber option only for flights yet to take off, allowing tighter checks and searches of the plane before clearing it to fly.
“If you want to deliberately disrupt a flight, then you need to do so once it’s airborne,” said Drake. A pilot will have a QRH – a quick response handbook – whose instructions will likely include to descend quickly as well as divert to the nearest airport on receipt of a red alert. At cruising altitude, “aircraft pressurisation would do a lot of the work of any improvised explosive device.”
Diversions are expensive as well as highly disruptive, but airlines have little choice in the face of any remotely credible threat.
The ready availability of airline operations information on the internet means that any hoaxer now has a level of detail about the schedules, the type of plane and its technical specifications that would have eluded all but insiders decades ago.
Rhys Jones, an analyst at Osprey Flight Solutions, an aviation intelligence firm, said the confidence of airlines in European airport security should not mean any change to normal protocols after the hoaxes, but “one of the natural responses will be to see double-downed security, media coverage and public concern about travelling”.
He said the threats seemed linked but “a reasonably chaotic campaign with no particular region targeted”, and while it could weaken future security responses through the normalisation of threats, simply creating disruption could be regarded as a success by those hoaxing airlines.
‘Too early’ to say if flight bomb threats are linked, EU commissioner says
EU transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas has said that it is “too early to draw conclusions on whether the reported incidents are linked,” as he stressed that “any threats against civilians are unacceptable.”
“Ensuring the safety and security of citizens remains a priority,” he said.
He added:
“We are closely monitoring the situation and are in contact with the affected Member States and the European Aviation Safety Agency.
I have asked the national authorities, that have the responsibility for assessing security threats, investigating incidents and implementing appropriate aviation security measures, to cooperate closely with airport operators, airlines and law enforcement authorities.”
Three flights affected by hoax bomb threats in Madrid, authorities say
Three flights were affected by hoax bomb threats at Madrid’s airport on Thursday morning, Spanish authorities said, adding that security forces had ruled out any risk, Reuters reported.
We do not have further data on the three affected flights at the moment.
Angela Giuffrida
in Rome
The Italian news agency Ansa, citing police sources, said the warning for the Helsinki-Rome and Dublin-Rome flights came from an anonymous email written in Italian and sent to the Rome airport company, ADR, and other affiliated companies, early on Thursday.
The subject heading was “segnalazione minaccia” (“threat warning”).
Jakub Krupa
Several planes are currently in hold circling above Warsaw Okęcie airport, including PLL LOT flights from Dusseldorf, Stockholm and Toronto.
Keeping an eye on that for you.
Could very well be nothing, but there is understandable concern given today’s alerts across Europe.
Have you been affected by the bomb threats to flights in Europe?
We’d like to hear from passengers and airline staff caught up in the disruptions caused by a series of bomb threats to commercial flights.
Are you on one of the affected flights or has your journey disrupted? What happened, and how did you feel? What information were you given by the airline or authorities, and how was the situation handled?
Let us know:
No threat confirmed after reported threat against WizzAir flight to Bucharest
The Romanian intelligence services also cleared the WizzAir flight that landed in Bucharest earlier today, saying their checks did not find anything worrying.
That’s reported in the Romanian media, including Antena3 and Adevarul.
Two more bomb threats reported against Milan-bound planes
Meanwhile, two more bomb threats were reported against planes flying to Milan’s Malpensa airport.
The planes affected were identified by Italian news agency ANSA as A3552 Aegean Airlines from Thessaloniki and FR8953 Ryanair flight from Porto.
Both landed safely and are being checked by authorities.
That brings the total number of planes affected this morning to 15 (so far).
‘No issues identified’ at three Ryanair flights to Bulgaria, ministry confirms
All three planes that landed at Bulgarian airports following bomb threats have been cleared by the authorities with no threat confirmed, the transport ministry has said.
In a statement to the Guardian, the ministry said:
“Following a bomb threat, established security procedures were activated in relation to three Ryanair aircraft operating scheduled flights to Sofia from Madrid, Copenhagen and London.
The flight crews and the airline decided that the flights from Madrid and Copenhagen would continue to Sofia Airport, while the flight from London was diverted to Plovdiv Airport.
Upon landing, the necessary inspections were carried out in accordance with the applicable procedures and no issues were identified.
The airline is arranging transportation for passengers from Plovdiv to Sofia.
Airport operations at both Sofia Airport and Plovdiv Airport have returned to normal.”
