A series of fake bomb threats affected passenger flights to Sofia, Warsaw, Rome and the Spanish city of Murcia. The planes were checked after landing or diverted to other airports, but no explosive devices were found in any of the inspections. No one was injured.
The airlines affected included Wizz Air, Ryanair, LOT and SAS. Bulgaria’s Transport Minister Georgi Peev said that two planes arriving at Sofia’s „Vasil Levski“ Airport from Bergamo and Dublin had been checked following reports of explosive devices on board.
Both aircraft landed on their planned routes. The plane from Bergamo arrived at 11:10, and the inspections were carried out by officers from the Specialized Unit for Combating Terrorism. No explosive devices or suspicious objects were found. Peev said that one of the reports had been relayed by the pilot after the airline notified him.
Flight to Sofia diverted to Budapest
The incidents were reported a day after another Wizz Air plane operating a flight from Luton to Sofia was diverted to Budapest because of a threat received during the flight. The Hungarian Air Force dispatched a Gripen fighter jet, which escorted the passenger plane to „Ferenc Liszt“ Airport.
After landing, the plane and the passengers were checked. The airline told Hungary’s MTI news agency that no threat had been found. Lubomir Nikolov, acting chief secretary of the Ministry of Interior, said that work to identify the sender was continuing.
Checks and diverted flights in Warsaw and Rome
Two flights to Warsaw were affected in Poland. An SAS plane from Copenhagen landed normally at „Frederic Chopin“ Airport, but one of the runways was temporarily closed. After the inspections were completed, the airport resumed normal operations.
A LOT plane from London’s „Heathrow“ Airport was redirected to „Modlin“ Airport. The passengers were evacuated and the aircraft was checked. „Nothing was found,“ airport spokesperson Adam Szablowski told Agence France-Presse. After the inspection, the passengers were to be transported by bus to „Frederic Chopin“ Airport.
Two Ryanair flights to Rome’s „Fiumicino“ Airport were also checked. One of the planes had arrived from Lisbon and the other from Dublin. The aircraft from Dublin was escorted to Rome by the Italian Air Force. Police checked the planes, passengers, crews and baggage without finding any explosives.
A Ryanair plane from Manchester to Murcia landed on schedule. Spanish airport operator Aena said that after landing, the emergency response plan was activated, and Spanish police checked the aircraft, passengers and crew. No explosive device was found.
Sources: bta.bg, apnews.com