Hoax bomb threats reach Portugal: a Ryanair flight from Lisbon to Rome and two TAP flights were checked on 6 November
At 7:20 on the morning of 6 November, the PSP police received a report of a bomb on a Ryanair plane due to fly from Lisbon to Rome. At that point the plane was still on its way into Lisbon on its previous flight. Once it had landed, police special forces searched it, and all the passengers and their luggage were screened again before boarding. No bomb was found (ECO).
The same day, the FBI warned the PSP of a threat to two more TAP flights, to Paris (Orly airport) and Copenhagen. The planes were already in the air; the PSP alerted the French and Danish police, the threats were not confirmed and both flights reached their destinations (Dinheiro Vivo).
This is part of a wave of hoax threats across Europe. On Thursday 5 November, at least 25 flights were targeted, including one from Porto to Milan. Some planes were diverted to other airports, and in Hungary three passenger jets were escorted by fighter jets. The European Commission has set up information sharing between EU countries so that they can respond to the threats together (Dinheiro Vivo). It has not been established who is behind them (Observador).
NAV, the air traffic control service, and the PSP say they are monitoring the situation and that Portugal's airports are operating safely (Jornal de Negócios). For passengers, such a threat has so far meant a delay: the plane is searched, and people and their bags are screened again.
