European Airlines Divert Flights After Coordinated False Bomb Threats

Travelers across Europe faced delays and diversions on Tuesday after several commercial flights received false bomb threats. The incidents affected multiple carriers, including Ryanair, Polish airline LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, and Wizz Air. No injuries were reported, and authorities found no explosives on any of the aircraft.

In Italy, a Ryanair flight from Lisbon landed at Rome’s Fiumicino airport after receiving an email reporting a bomb on board. Police bomb disposal experts searched the plane and found nothing. A second Ryanair flight from Dublin also landed in Rome following a similar threat. The Italian Air Force scrambled two Eurofighters to escort the Dublin plane, confirming it responded to a suspected threat aboard the civilian aircraft.

Poland dealt with two separate incidents. A LOT flight from London Heathrow was diverted to Modlin Airport after a threat was reported. The airport closed temporarily while crews searched the jet. A SAS flight from Copenhagen was also directed to Warsaw Chopin Airport, where a runway was closed for standard safety procedures. SAS spokesperson Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji told the Polish press agency PAP that passengers disembarked and the plane landed normally. The matter was referred to the Polish police.

In Spain, a Ryanair flight from Manchester landed in Murcia after a threat. Francisco Lucas, the Spanish government’s delegate in the Murcia region, said on social media that the plane carried 121 people. Officials inspected the aircraft and cleared passengers and crew. In Bulgaria, two planes arriving from Bergamo and Dublin were inspected in Sofia. Transportation Minister Georgi Peev said the threats were reported to pilots by their airlines. The Specialized Counter-Terrorism Unit found no explosives on either plane.

The wave of threats followed a similar incident on Monday involving a Wizz Air flight from Luton, England. That plane was diverted to Budapest, where Hungarian authorities said a Gripen fighter jet escorted it to the airport. The threat was also a hoax. Matthew Borie, co-founder of Osprey Flight Solutions, suggested the events could be copycat incidents or part of hybrid warfare by state actors. He noted that geopolitical tensions and recent disruptions in Europe make a Russian or Iranian angle possible, though he urged travelers not to be alarmed.

Greek authorities are investigating a threat against the Crown Iris, an Israeli-run cruise ship docked in the Aegean island of Syros. A coast guard search using a sniffer dog and a diver found no suspicious objects. The ship, carrying 940 passengers and 597 crew, was being evacuated as a precaution before sailing to Haifa. The vessel’s presence in Greek ports has drawn protests from activists opposed to the war in Gaza. Authorities in Bulgaria said they are still trying to identify the sender of the airline threats.