A series of hoax bomb threats made across many European countries has caused large-scale disruptions in the aviation sector. At least 16 passenger planes traveling to countries including Italy, France, Belgium, Czechia, and Bulgaria were forced to make emergency landings as part of security measures.
FIGHTER JETS DEPLOYED
In some incidents where security protocols were raised to the highest level, passenger planes were escorted by fighter jets. A Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome was landed at Rome Fiumicino Airport under the surveillance of Italian Air Force fighter jets. Another Aer Lingus flight with 151 passengers on board, traveling from Dublin to Rome, diverted its route and made a safe landing at the Evreux Fauville Air Base in France.
A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Warsaw was diverted to Vienna due to a bomb threat, while another passenger plane flying from London to Sofia was diverted near Plovdiv.
CRISIS CENTERS ESTABLISHED AT AIRPORTS
The threats caused panic and emergency measures on the ground as well as in the air. A crisis center was established at Henri Coanda International Airport due to a threat on a plane heading to the Romanian capital, Bucharest. In Czechia, warnings were issued that explosives had been placed on four separate planes heading to the capital, Prague, and emergency preparations were initiated at the airport.
Similarly, a large-scale police operation was carried out at the airport in the Austrian city of Salzburg, and security checks were tightened. Following the landings of flights to Copenhagen, Brussels, and Warsaw, detailed baggage and cabin searches were conducted by authorized units and bomb disposal experts.
HYBRID ATTACK SUSPICION UNDER INVESTIGATION
In recent days, numerous planes flying between different points such as the UK, Bulgaria, Poland, Denmark, and Spain have been the target of similar threats. In the first days of November, Wizz Air and LOT Polish Airlines planes also made emergency landings in Hungary and Poland due to bomb threats on flights departing from London.
No dangerous substances were found in any of the detailed inspections carried out on the planes and luggage across Europe. After all the threats turned out to be hoaxes, authorities began a comprehensive investigation into whether these simultaneous threats, which disrupted aviation traffic, were an organized "hybrid attack" and who might be behind them.
News Source: 12punto
