'Bomb scares' at two British airports as hoax threats hit UK flights amid chaos across Europe

Fresh hoax bomb threats targeted two British airports today as 25 further flights on European airlines made unplanned landings or were escorted by fighter jets.London Heathrow and Birmingham airports both received threats early this morning, but they were quickly resolved and flights were continuing as normal at both hubs.Heathrow said the hoax threats were not credible. The Metropolitan Police aviation policing command was monitoring the situation and liaising with relevant authorities.It comes as a series of hoax bomb threats hit European airlines from Ireland to Bulgaria today for the second time this week, including one leaving London Stansted.A UK Government spokesman said: 'Threats reported at Heathrow and Birmingham in the early hours of this morning have been resolved.'It's right that authorities treat any potential threats seriously. The UK has one of the most robust aviation security systems in the world, with well-tested processes for dealing with any threats as well as malicious hoaxes, like those we've seen this week.'A Birmingham Airport spokesperson said: 'The safety and security of customers and colleagues is always our highest priority.'In line with UK aviation security standards, processes were immediately initiated in conjunction with emergency services and partners.' Italy's air force escorted a Finnair plane from Helsinki to its scheduled landing in Rome today A LOT flight from Warsaw landed as scheduled in Brussels today after a security warningWhile no country has attributed blame for the threats, ⁠they come at a time when many European officials have accused Russia of masterminding sabotage and 'hybrid attacks' — often cheap, easily deniable and not expected to trigger an armed response.Denmark, Poland and Romania, also affected by today's disruptions, have previously accused Moscow directly, while Germany blamed Russia for an attack on Leipzig airport in August.Britain has blamed Russia in the past but linked Iran to a suspected plot to attack an RAF air base in Gloucestershire in September. Both Russia and Iran deny any involvement.Eric Schouten, head of the aviation security group Dyami, said most of the countries affected supported Ukraine in its war against Russia's invasion.He added: 'From a geopolitical view, I'm thinking, you always have to think about the scenario of hybrid warfare, where a country in this way — today we are looking at Russia, right? — is attacking us on multiple fronts, from railways to supermarkets to blood banks, most recently. 'The energy sector, the internet sector, and the aviation sector are among those.'Bulgaria's air force said its fighter jets had escorted three airliners to the ground.Officials said that Ryanair planes from Copenhagen and Madrid to Sofia landed as planned while a flight from Stansted to Sofia was diverted to Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second city.Spanish authorities received three emailed bomb threats in under 20 minutes from around 9am (8am UK time) involving two Air Europa departures from Madrid to Paris and four inbound Iberia flights from Rome and Milan, Spain's Guardia Civil said.Several aircraft were halted or returned to their stands and passengers were disembarked while planes were inspected. Aer Lingus flight EI402 from Dublin to Rome landed safely today at Evreux airport near Paris Passengers at Brussels Airport after a flight from Warsaw to Brussels landed safely todayTwo easyJet flights from Britain, one flight from Ireland and one from Greece landed as scheduled in Prague after receiving bomb threats. Czech police said they had assessed the credibility of the threats as low.Italy's air force escorted a Finnair plane coming from Helsinki to its scheduled landing in Rome, a person close to the matter said. Rome's airport operator said there had been no disruption to services.Another Finnair flight from Helsinki, operated by Jettime, landed as normal in Vienna after receiving a bomb threat, Finnair said.The Italian news agency ANSA said two planes had landed safely in Milan after receiving threats.A LOT flight from Warsaw landed as scheduled in Brussels after a security warning, the Polish airline said. In Warsaw, a LOT flight to Paris was stopped as it was taxiing towards take-off and passengers were transferred to another aircraft as a precaution, it added.A Wizz Air flight from Milan landed safely in Bucharest, Romania's intelligence agency said. Italian media reported that a Wizz Air flight from Milan to Warsaw had been diverted to Vienna.Aer Lingus flight EI402 from Dublin to Rome landed safely today at Evreux airport, about 60 miles west of Paris, the Irish airline said.And in Denmark, a military bomb disposal unit searched two planes at Copenhagen airport, but did not find any devices, police said.Eliran Almog, CEO of aviation cybersecurity firm Cyviation, said the repeated bomb threats could serve both to disrupt operations and to observe how airlines, airports and national authorities respond. A Ryanair plane in Sofia today, as bomb threats forced airliners to make unplanned landings A fire truck and a police car are parked in front of the Vaclav Havel Airport in Prague today'These aviation threats are also occurring in the same period as cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe,' Mr Almog said.'Different essential services are experiencing disruption that carries economic costs and can undermine public confidence.'On Tuesday, at least seven flights and a cruise ship received bomb threats, causing disruption at airports across Europe, although no devices were discovered.Joji Waites, the director of flight safety, policy and regulation for the British Airline Pilots' Association (Balpa), said today: 'When a threat to an aircraft has been notified to the airline the threat is passed to a team of assessors.'These assessors use standard processes to grade the threat and decide whether the threat is Red (credible), Amber (partially credible) or Green (not credible).'Amber is not considered an appropriate assessment if the plane is airborne. If the threat is assessed as not credible staff on the plane will not be informed of it.'However, when a threat is assessed as credible (red or amber) the flight crew will be informed immediately and they will carry out company procedures for a credible bomb threat.'From the moment the flight crew is notified of a credible bomb threat, commander of the aircraft – the captain - is in command and will make all the decisions, guided by the appropriate checklist, for the safety of their aircraft.'Usually if a plane is still on the tarmac that will mean an evacuation, and if it is in the air the priority will be to land the plane as soon and as safely as possible.'This week, unidentified hackers for the second time shut down fridges in supermarkets in several European countries, also affecting French blood banks.