Bomb threats hit Rome-linked flights as Europe disruptions spread

Bomb threats aimed at flights across Europe again disrupted airport operations, with two services departing from and arriving in Rome among the latest to be targeted, according to The Mirror.

The paper also reported that Prague Airport had confirmed repeated threats involving planes travelling to and from the Czech capital, while Danish police said they were investigating threats directed toward air traffic at Copenhagen Airport.

Even when a threat turns out to be a hoax, the effect is real enough. Flights can be delayed, rerouted or met with heightened security because aviation does not get the luxury of treating a bomb warning as idle noise.

The latest alerts follow earlier disruption across the continent. The Mirror said that at least 27 flights in Europe were targeted by hoax bomb threats in the previous round of incidents, including an Aer Lingus aircraft over France, a Finnair plane over Italy and three Ryanair flights over Bulgaria that were escorted by fighter jets.

It also reported that seven flights across Europe had been subjected to bomb threats in an earlier batch, including two that departed from the UK.

What the available reports establish is a widening pattern of disruption across several countries. They do not establish that any explosive devices were found on the affected flights.