Several flights across Europe receive 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.

The impacted airlines included Polish airline LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air and Ryanair.

The bomb hoaxes came a day after a plane heading for Bulgaria was diverted to Hungary after receiving a bomb threat while in the air.

No one was injured and no plane made an emergency landing after the alleged bomb threats.

An expert who advises airlines on flight threats, laid out several hypotheses for the as-yet unexplained incidents.

Matthew Borie, Co-Founder, Osprey Flight Solutions said "It could be an individual calling in a bomb threat and copycats after;

it could be an individual calling in multiple bomb threats on multiple days, but we also have seen in relation to Russia-Ukraine, in relation to India-Pakistan, in particular,

bomb threat incidents affecting the aviation sectors in the country or the region that that conflict's associated.

The vast majority of bomb threats turn out to be effectively non-security-related issues other than the fact that the threat was delivered. There's no actual device found.

There's very rarely any even type of hoax device related to it."

His message to travellers is not to be alarmed noting "coordinated response mechanisms" by national authorities include at times, the deployment of NATO fighter jets to escort such planes.

Meanwhile Ryanair flight from Lisbon landed in Rome's Flumicino airport Tuesday morning after receipt of an email reporting a bomb was on board,

according to an official with knowledge of the events.

And in Poland, a flight by Polish airline LOT from London's Heathrow Airport to Warsaw's Chopin Airport was diverted to nearby Modlin Airport after a bomb threat.