A Ryanair plane at Sofia airport in Bulgaria, where six incidents were reported. Ryanair was the hardest hit airline, with eight reported cases. Photograph: Stoyan Nenov/ReutersView image in fullscreenA Ryanair plane at Sofia airport in Bulgaria, where six incidents were reported. Ryanair was the hardest hit airline, with eight reported cases. Photograph: Stoyan Nenov/ReutersExplainerWhy have more than 30 European flights been hit by bomb threats this week?With flights disrupted, how concerned should you be about your travel plans?More than 30 planes have been subjected to security alerts or diversions this week, with at least 25 more bomb threats on Thursday disrupting civil aviation across Europe.What do we know so far, and how concerned should you be about your travel plans?What’s happened? At least 35 flights have been disrupted this week, beginning on Monday, when a Wizz Air flight from London Luton to Sofia in Bulgaria was diverted to Budapest. Thursday’s threats affected airports in London, Birmingham, Brussels, Bucharest, Madrid, Milan, Prague, Rome, Sofia and Warsaw, among others.So far all incidents have been confirmed to be false alarms, with nothing suspicious…
Why have more than 30 European flights been hit by bomb threats this week?
In short
The operational chaos began on Monday with a diverted Wizz Air flight before rapidly escalating into at least 25 reported alerts by Thursday. Many of the warnings arrived through anonymous emails containing precise flight numbers and arrival schedules sent to locations in Spain, Italy, Poland, and Bulgaria. In response to the warnings, military authorities in Hungary, Italy, France, and Bulgaria deployed fighter jets to escort targeted commercial aircraft. EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas stated that officials have not yet determined if the series of disruptive events are linked.
Key points
- Extensive security sweeps confirmed that every single reported threat across the continen…: Extensive security sweeps confirmed that every single reported threat across the continent was a false alarm.
- Authorities currently lack intelligence linking the wave of detailed anonymous email thre…: Authorities currently lack intelligence linking the wave of detailed anonymous email threats to any specific state actor or organized group.
- Aviation experts highlighted that the high volume and specific scheduling details of thes…: Aviation experts highlighted that the high volume and specific scheduling details of these hoaxes represent an unusually disruptive event.