Bomb threats force several flights into emergency landings across Europe

Bomb threats force several flights into emergency landings across Europe The threats - at least one of which was confirmed to be a hoax - raise concerns over the ease with which flights can be severely disrupted by agitators - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in At least seven flights in Europe have been subjected to bomb threats, forcing several planes to divert and an airport in Poland to close in a day of chaos on Tuesday. Bomb scares on two flights from London, and others from Manchester, Copenhagen, Israel, Dublin, Bergamo and Lisbon threw airports into disarray, with authorities searching planes after some of the flights went through emergency landings. The diversion of the flights with hundreds of passengers onboard, and temporary closures of airports raises concerns over the ease with which agitators can cause major disruption. You can follow all the latest updates on the bomb threats here. Two Ryanair flights from Dublin and Lisbon were searched following anonymous tips regarding potential bomb threats, the airline said. The Dublin flight, had 185 passengers on board, the Bulgarian transport ministry said. No explosives were found onboard. A Wizz Air flight from Bergamo to Sofia also landed safely with 176 passengers onboard. A LOT flight from London Heathrow originally headed for Warsaw's Chopin airport was carrying 181 people when it was diverted away from Warsaw Chopin to to Warsaw-Modlin airport on Tuesday morning. Modlin was briefly closed while the plane was searched, but has now reopened after no device was found. A bomb threat was reported on a Scandinavian SAS flight from Copenhagen to Warsaw. The flight landed at Chopin airport as scheduled, the airport remained open and authorities said no device was found. Another threat was reported on a Ryanair flight carrying 114 passengers from Manchester that landed in Murcia in southern Spain, according to Diari ARA. Parts of the airport in southeastern Spain, were cordoned off on Tuesday after a bomb threat was reported on a Ryanair flight from Manchester. But officials said the report proved to be a hoax, and the airport resumed normal operations after authorities found no explosives on board. In Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, a plane flying from Israel landed after a bomb threat was received by email. Interior Ministry secretary general Lyubomir Nikolov said counter-terrorism police were searching the aircraft for possible explosive devices, according to the BTA news agency. It comes after a Wizz Air flight from London to Sofia was diverted to Budapest airport after receiving a bomb threat on Monday, Hungarian defence minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said in a Facebook post. “The Hungarian Air Force's air defense readiness service has once again proven itself in a critical situation,” he wrote. “The Hungarian Air Force's Gripen aircraft took to the air within minutes and ensured the landing of the passenger aircraft in Budapest. The fighter aircraft then returned to the base in Kecskemét, and the police took over the subsequent measures.” Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments