Suspected bomb threats trigger checks on seven European flights
Two Ryanair flights,
arriving in Rome from Dublin and Lisbon, were searched at Fiumicino Airport
after anonymous warnings. The Dublin flight was escorted by an Italian Air
Force aircraft before landing. No explosives were found during inspections of
either aircraft, passengers or luggage.
Other affected flights
included services in Poland, Spain and Bulgaria. A Ryanair flight from
Manchester was inspected after landing in Spain, while two flights bound for
Warsaw, including one from London Heathrow, were also affected. Two aircraft
arriving in Sofia from Bergamo and Dublin underwent security checks, with no
explosives discovered.
The UK government
described the incidents as malicious hoax threats, saying established aviation
security procedures were in place to handle such alerts.
Authorities have not
confirmed any connection between the incidents, but officials across several
countries are cooperating to determine whether they were coordinated.
Aviation experts said
bomb warnings are treated seriously until investigations are completed.
Depending on the assessed risk, aircraft may be diverted, isolated after
landing and evacuated so police and bomb disposal teams can conduct searches.
The incidents followed a
separate bomb alert involving a Wizz Air flight from London Luton, which made
an emergency landing in Budapest a day earlier. Security checks also found no
explosives.
