ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Air travel across several European countries has been disrupted following a series of bomb threats targeting passenger aircraft, forcing at least seven flights to make emergency landings.
Two flights departing from the United Kingdom were also among those affected. According to reports, seven flights bound for Warsaw, Sofia, Rome and Murcia in Spain received bomb threats on Tuesday. A separate flight heading to Sofia had also been targeted a day earlier.
In one major incident, a LOT Polish Airlines flight travelling from London’s Heathrow Airport to Warsaw was diverted to Warsaw Modlin Airport following a bomb threat. The Boeing 737 MAX was carrying 181 passengers.
The threat alert was issued at 9:54 AM local time, and the aircraft landed safely at Warsaw Modlin Airport just seven minutes later. The airport was temporarily closed as security personnel carried out a thorough search of the aircraft and passengers’ luggage.
LOT Polish Airlines confirmed that no suspicious objects or explosives were found during the search. Passengers were subsequently transported by bus to Warsaw Chopin Airport.
In a separate incident, a Scandinavian Airlines flight travelling from Copenhagen to Warsaw also received a bomb threat but landed safely at Warsaw Chopin Airport.
Meanwhile, in Spain, a Ryanair flight arriving from Manchester made an emergency landing at Murcia Airport following a security alert. The aircraft was carrying 114 passengers and seven crew members.
Spain’s Civil Guard searched the aircraft and ruled out the presence of explosives. Flight operations at Warsaw Modlin Airport also resumed after security authorities cleared the threat.
The British government has stated that the country maintains a robust aviation security system, with established procedures to deal with potential threats, including hoax bomb alerts.
