Reuters
[Source: Reuters]
At least seven flights and a cruise ship in Europe received bomb threats on Tuesday, causing disruption at airports although no devices were discovered.
At least two flights to Warsaw, two to Sofia, two to Rome and one to Murcia airport in Spain were subjected to the threats on Tuesday, and another flight to Sofia had been threatened a day earlier.
An airport in Warsaw was briefly shut and the Italian Air Force accompanied one of the flights to Rome while an Israel-bound cruise ship was searched for bombs in Greece.
There was no claim of responsibility and officials did not attribute blame. None of the affected airlines responded to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Rhys Jones, Analysis Output Manager at aviation risk advisory firm Osprey Flight Solutions, said that seven confirmed bomb threats in a single day impacting flights was exceptional.
“The lack of clear target state, airline, or route indicates that general disruption to aviation operations is the aim,” Jones told Reuters.
Authorities diverted a LOT flight from London that was meant to land at Warsaw’s Chopin airport to nearby Modlin airport, which was closed and then reopened after the plane was searched and no device was found.
Another Warsaw-bound flight, an SAS flight from Copenhagen, landed at Chopin as scheduled. Chopin airport said no device was found and the airport remained operational.
