In recent days, there has been a wave of fake bomb threats against passenger aircraft across Europe, with nearly 30 reports filed yesterday alone. This caused serious disruption to air traffic, flight diversions, emergency landings and security checks.
The tense situation surrounding European air transport, the reasons behind the threats and the question of who is responsible for them are among the main topics being discussed today by a number of Western publications.
Security analysts said airlines should expect more threats in the coming days, the Financial Times reports.
Air carriers periodically receive bomb threats, but I do not think we have seen this level of coordination before, Ben Smith, chief executive officer of Air France-KLM, told the British newspaper. He added that the French airline, which has so far not been affected by the new wave of threats, has a strict protocol and has not had to introduce changes to its operations. According to him, the incidents should “under no circumstances become a reason for (passengers) to delay or limit their plans”. “We are completely confident that we have all the necessary resources to ensure that the impact on our operations will be minimal or zero,” the chief executive of the French airline said, as quoted by the Financial Times.
“Investigators said there is still no evidence that the distribution of the fake reports was organised by a terrorist group or a state actor such as Russia or Iran,” the British newspaper The Guardian writes.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) condemned the actions that led to flight disruptions and called on the authorities to identify the source of the threats. “Safety is the number one priority for this industry and we take all threats seriously,” said Nick Careen, senior vice president of the International Air Transport Association.
Bomb threats sent by email to the airports in Sofia and Rome were signed by “The Fighters of the Male State”, The Guardian notes. This refers to a Russian far-right group founded in 2016 by Vladislav Pozdnyakov and characterised by ultranationalist and misogynistic views. Pozdnyakov, a known supporter of the war in Ukraine, has not commented on the bomb threats on his Telegram channel, The Guardian continues.
Before the disruption to air traffic this week, there were also cyberattacks against the industrial refrigeration systems of supermarkets in several European countries, the British publication recalls.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described as “absurd” the accusations against the Russian government in connection with the attacks on the refrigeration systems. “Our country is subjected to similar unfounded accusations of involvement in everything,” Peskov added, as quoted by The Guardian.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said that someone “who has an interest in fuelling tensions” was behind the cyberattacks and fake bomb reports. “This is called ‘war below the threshold’, because it is below the threshold for establishing responsibility. It is done deliberately so that no one can point to the culprit,” the Italian defence minister added.
Many of the affected flights are operated by low-cost airlines, but there is no discernible pattern in the incidents, The Guardian notes.
Aviation experts point out that fake threats are made every day, but the large number of reports in recent days suggests coordinated action.
Bringing a large quantity of explosives on board an aircraft should be prevented by multilayered security systems and checks. Nevertheless, the consequences of any explosion on board would be amplified many times at an altitude of nearly 11,000 metres, The Guardian also writes.
Flight diversions are costly for airlines and cause serious disruption to schedules, but they have no other choice when a potentially serious threat is received.
Flight information is readily accessible, and anyone who, for whatever reason, wants to file a fake danger report has the opportunity to find out in detail about the flight schedule, as well as the model and technical characteristics of a particular aircraft. Decades ago, this data would have been available only to insiders, the British newspaper notes.
Rhys Jones, an analyst at aviation security company Osprey Flight Solutions, told The Guardian that fake bomb threats in Europe should not become a reason to change standard security protocols. Jones added, however, that “increased security measures, media coverage and public concern about travel… are among the natural reactions” in this situation.
According to the expert from Osprey Flight Solutions, the threats appear to be connected, but this is a “fairly chaotic campaign that is not directed at a specific region”. In the future, fake bomb threats may begin to be regarded as a normal occurrence, resulting in security measures being weakened, Jones predicted. But the current disruption to air traffic could be considered a success by those behind the fake threats, added the aviation security specialist, as quoted by The Guardian.
The New York Times examines in somewhat greater detail the authorities’ options for responding.
Marco Chan, a lecturer in aviation operations at Kingston University London, said that even when a bomb threat is assessed as likely to be a hoax, it is difficult for authorities to establish this with certainty without searching the aircraft. According to Chan, “even the slightest suspicion” of a bomb must be treated as a real threat. Chan said European airports should strengthen security measures and ensure that the relevant personnel are able to inspect aircraft more quickly when necessary.
The New York Times also quotes independent aviation security expert Paul Mason, who believes that a thorough investigation and the prosecution of those responsible could deter similar fake reports. He acknowledged, however, that this could prove difficult if they are located outside the jurisdiction of the relevant country.
According to Mason, the authorities do not need to overreact. He said the number of flights affected on Thursday was insignificant compared with the total number of passenger aircraft flying over Europe every day.
“The best thing about this whole situation is that there were no real threats,” Mason concluded.