Flights Across Europe Searched And Diverted After Hoax Bomb Threats

Several flights across Europe received hoax bomb threats Tuesday that prompted searches, diversions and, in one case, an escort by the Italian Air Force until landing, officials said. 

The flights included Polish airline LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air and Ryanair. The hoax threats came a day after a plane headed for Bulgaria was diverted to Hungary after receiving a similar bomb threat while in the air. No one was injured.

Matthew Borie of Osprey Flight Solutions, which advises airlines on flight



threats, gave several hypotheses for the as-yet unexplained incidents: A single threat triggers copycat incidents; an individual or a group makes multiple threats; or operations of “hybrid warfare” by state actors or their supporters.

Such threats were “not a new phenomenon” and came at a time of increased geopolitical tensions and signs of “disruption,” like attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems, drone incursions in Europe and mysterious triggers to alert apps — even as authorities have warned that hybrid threats abound.