A wave of bomb threats against passenger planes across Europe continued Thursday, causing flight disruptions, emergency landings, and security checks in multiple countries. A KLM flight from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv was caught up in the security scare after a bomb threat was received while the plane was stopped in Bucharest.
1+KLM Flight 461 took off last night from Amsterdam bound for Israel. During the flight, the plane made a technical stop in Bucharest for a crew change. But during the procedure, a bomb threat was received about the plane, and all passengers were required to disembark. Local security forces began searching the aircraft, and as of publication the search is ongoing.
The incident joins an unusual wave of similar threats reported today across Europe. Among the notable events, an Aer Lingus flight that took off from Dublin to Rome was forced to change course and land at a military base in France following a bomb threat. The plane carried 151 passengers and six crew members, and passengers were moved to a safe location until checks were completed.
Flights by Ryanair, Wizz Air, and Finnair were also affected by threats. In some cases planes were escorted by fighter jets, others were diverted to alternative airports, and at several airports comprehensive security checks were conducted after the planes landed.
According to international media reports, at least 25 flights were affected by bomb threats during the day. Despite the scope of the incidents, searches conducted on the various planes found no explosives, and in some cases authorities defined the threats as false alarms.
1+The incidents are occurring amid a wave of threats that has continued for several days. Authorities in various countries are investigating the source of the messages and the possibility of a connection between the cases, but at this stage it has not been determined that all the threats are linked to one another.