Seven bomb threats hit European flights; no explosives found

Seven passenger flights across Europe received bomb threats on Tuesday 3 November. All landed safely, and searches found no bombs on any plane.

The flights left the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Portugal and Italy. Their routes led to Spain, Poland, Italy and Bulgaria. Four were run by Ryanair. The other three were Wizz Air, LOT and SAS flights.

The threats caused checks, diversions and short airport closures. Downing Street called them malicious hoaxes. A UK transport source said the low-level threats were not seen as credible.

Flights checked across Europe

A LOT flight from London Heathrow to Warsaw was sent to Warsaw Modlin. It had 181 people on board and landed at 10.01am. The airport closed while the plane was checked. Passengers left the plane, no bomb was found and the airport later reopened.

An SAS flight from Copenhagen also received a threat. It landed at Warsaw Chopin, where part of the airport closed for a search. No bomb was found.

Rome Fiumicino checked two Ryanair flights after warnings. One arrived from Lisbon. The other came from Dublin and was met in the air by Italian fighter jets. Both landed safely.

Two more flights to Sofia were named in the reports. One was a Wizz Air service from Bergamo. The other was a Ryanair flight from Dublin. The Bulgarian authorities moved the planes away from terminals for checks.

Murcia airport reopens

The seventh threat involved a Ryanair flight from Manchester to Murcia. It landed at Corvera at 10.30am with 114 passengers and seven crew members.

Aena put its safety plan into force. The Guardia Civil searched the plane, while the Policía Nacional checked those on board. Fire crews and health workers also went to the airport. No explosives were found.

Murcia airport closed for more than two hours and reopened at 1pm. A Binter flight from Gran Canaria, due at 12.20pm, was sent to Alicante during the closure.

The reports differ on the time when the Murcia warning first reached the authorities. They agree that the plane landed safely and that the search found nothing.

It was not clear if the seven threats were linked. Investigators said there was no quick sign that a hostile state was behind them. They kept sharing details across Europe as their work went on.

Source: The Guardian; El Mundo; elDiario.es; Europa Press; Diario de Cádiz.