European airlines clear bomb threat reports

Travelers flying across Europe on Thursday faced delays and reroutes after multiple airlines reported bomb threats. Authorities managed the disruptions using standard security procedures, and no hazardous materials were found during inspections.

The incidents affected more than a dozen flights originating from Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, Madrid, Milan, and Warsaw. This follows a series of similar hoax threats earlier in the week that also required searches and diversions.

Greek carrier Aegean Airlines confirmed that two of its flights were targeted. Flight A3552 from Thessaloniki to Milan and Flight A3860 from Athens to Vienna received the threats. The airline stated that all security protocols were implemented and that both flights departed after the threats were confirmed as baseless.

British Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the events as malicious hoax threats. She told broadcasters that a small number of flights were disrupted and that established processes for dealing with such threats were followed. She did not specify the details of those processes.

Finnish airline Finnair reported that two flights, AY1761 from Helsinki to Rome and AY1471 from Helsinki to Vienna, faced unfounded threats. Both aircraft landed safely at their destinations, and passengers disembarked. The airline noted that nothing suspicious was found on the planes.

In France, an Aer Lingus plane en route from Dublin to Rome was rerouted to a military air base in Evreux. The aircraft sat on the tarmac under an overcast sky while explosives experts examined the plane. A Red Cross vehicle was nearby, and metal gates restricted access to the base.

Czech police deployed to Prague’s Vaclav Havel Airport to prepare for the landing of four planes after receiving threats of explosive devices. Police stated that all necessary security measures were activated. Later searches of the planes found nothing suspicious, though officials did not disclose where the flights originated.