by Xinhua writers Zhao Jiasong, Zhang Zhaoqing
LONDON/BRUSSELS, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- A fresh wave of bomb threats disrupted more than 20 passenger flights across Europe on Thursday, forcing aircraft to divert, fighter jets to scramble and airports to carry out emergency inspections, despite no explosives being found in the incidents investigated so far.
The alerts, which followed similar incidents earlier this week, affected airlines and airports across multiple countries, raising questions about the origin of the threats, their impact on Europe's interconnected aviation network and the ability of authorities to respond to potential cross-border security risks.
WHAT LIES BEHIND THE SURGE of THREATS?
The latest incidents have involved airlines including Ryanair, Finnair, Wizz Air, Aer Lingus, LOT Polish Airlines and Aegean Airlines. The affected flights operated between various European countries, including Britain, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria and Greece.
Several threats were delivered through anonymous emails. According to Italian public broadcaster Rai News 24, a single email written in Italian and sent to Rome's Fiumicino airport operator and other airport-based companies triggered alerts involving two Rome-bound flights from Helsinki and Dublin.
Similar warnings were reported at other European airports, including Milan Malpensa. The geographical spread of the incidents and the number of airlines involved have prompted speculation about whether they were coordinated, although investigators have yet to establish a common source.
Matthew Borie, co-founder and chief intelligence officer of aviation security consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions, outlined several possible explanations for the incidents, including copycat behavior following an initial threat, repeated warnings issued by an individual or group, and operations associated with hybrid warfare by state actors or their supporters.
The unusual concentration of threats has also raised questions about their intended purpose. Security analysts have suggested that repeated false warnings could be designed to create uncertainty among passengers, impose additional costs on airlines and test the responses of aviation authorities, even without any intention of carrying out an actual attack.
In a response to Xinhua on Thursday, the European Commission cited remarks by Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European commissioner for sustainable transport and tourism, at a press conference in Dublin, Ireland, where he said it was too early to determine whether the reported incidents were linked.
Tzitzikostas added that there was no information yet to establish whether a cyberattack was involved, while investigations by national authorities remained ongoing.
HOW FALSE THREATS DISRUPT AVIATION?
Thursday's incidents showed how threats that ultimately prove unfounded can still require extensive security operations and cause disruption across national borders.
Beyond the immediate inconvenience to passengers, the repeated alerts also consume resources from airport security personnel, police, emergency services and, in some cases, military forces.
An Aer Lingus flight traveling from Dublin to Rome was diverted to a military airbase in Evreux, France, following a bomb alert. The aircraft landed safely, and its 151 passengers and six crew members were moved to safety while military bomb disposal teams inspected the plane.
In Italy, a Finnair flight from Helsinki was escorted by military jets before landing in Rome. Similar threats affected flights in Bulgaria, Greece and Romania, prompting diversions, security inspections and other precautionary measures. The threats were subsequently found to be unfounded, according to airlines and local authorities.
Joji Waites, director of flight safety, policy and regulation at the British Airline Pilots' Association, told media that airlines use assessment teams to classify threats according to their credibility. When a threat is considered credible, flight crews are informed and appropriate procedures are implemented, with the priority for an airborne aircraft being to land as safely and promptly as possible.
WHAT BROADER SECURITY RISKS THE INCIDENTS REVEAL?
The wave of aviation threats has emerged amid heightened concern over the security of Europe's critical infrastructure, following a series of other disruptive incidents involving essential services.
Earlier this week, cyberattacks targeting supermarket refrigeration systems affected at least 11 European countries, with hackers reportedly manipulating temperature controls and forcing retailers to discard food.
In France, three plasma-storage facilities operated by the national blood service were also targeted by cyberattacks on refrigeration equipment. Authorities said the affected systems had been secured and blood supplies had not been compromised.
Although no link has been established between the incidents, they have raised concerns about Europe's vulnerability to costly disruptions of essential services.
In an emailed response to Xinhua after the incidents, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency said it would "continue to monitor these developments to identify and assess any potential aviation safety implications arising from such security threats."
Europol Deputy Spokesperson Claire Georges also told Xinhua in an email that the agency stood ready to support national authorities, at their request, where threats were linked to serious organised crime or terrorism, including by facilitating information exchange and identifying possible connections between incidents in different countries.
The incidents have also raised security concerns ahead of two major European gatherings in Dublin next week, including the European Political Community summit and an informal meeting of European Union heads of state or government.
Irish Defence Minister Helen McEntee described the recent wave of bomb threats as "extremely concerning," saying the government would take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the approximately 55 leaders expected to attend the gatherings. ■
