Second wave of hoax bomb threats hits European flights; EU activates alert
A second wave of hoax bomb threats disrupted passenger flights across Europe on 5 November, including aircraft landing at Bucharest Otopeni, as the EU activated its aviation-security information-sharing mechanism, officials said.
A second wave of hoax bomb threats disrupted passenger flights across Europe on 5 November, including aircraft landing at Bucharest Otopeni, as the EU activated its aviation-security information-sharing mechanism, officials said.
Romania's SRI said a Wizz Air Milan–Bucharest flight landed safely; all 182 passengers and seven crew were taken off, and a specialist search found no explosive. Airlines including Finnair, Aer Lingus, LOT and Wizz Air reported cleared aircraft after checks, AP and CNBC reported.
EU transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said it was too early to say whether the incidents were linked and that national authorities lead investigations. Earlier this week similar hoax threats had already diverted flights in several countries.
Finnair said two of its flights faced unfounded hoax bomb scares; one Helsinki–Rome flight was escorted by a Croatian fighter jet and then by Italian aircraft before landing safely. An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to a military air base in France, where no bomb was found. AP reported that at least one threat email was sent on behalf of a group calling itself anti-feminist, while Bogotá’s City Hall said an email account tied to a public health network in the city may have been used by hackers. Tzitzikostas said the EU had no information yet on whether it was a cyberattack.