Danish police probe new threats to air traffic at Copenhagen airport amid European bomb alerts

Fresh threats at Copenhagen Airport

Danish police said on Friday, 6 November, that they are investigating threats directed at air traffic at Copenhagen Airport. Their immediate assessment is that no danger existed for passengers or other people at the airport. Officers are on site and maintain a visible presence at the facilities, according to the force. Details on the scope of the threats and their intended target have not been released.

“We are now investigating the incident and have a visible presence at the airport.”

A string of false bomb alerts across Europe

The Copenhagen threats come on top of a series of false bomb alerts against commercial flights. Seven other European flights received false bomb threats on Tuesday, 3 November, prompting security measures in Spain, Poland, Italy and Bulgaria. On Thursday, 5 November, more than ten flights between European airports received false bomb threats, including three that departed from Madrid-Barajas or were bound for Madrid. Estimates of the wider total differ between reports, ranging from more than ten flights to about 20 according to AFP and at least 25 according to Reuters.

Diversions, escorts and checks

Affected services included flights operated by Ryanair, Wizz Air, Aer Lingus, LOT Polish Airlines and Air Serbia. Military aircraft from Italy, France and Bulgaria were mobilised to escort some commercial flights. An Aer Lingus aircraft flying from Dublin to Rome was redirected to a French military base, where passengers and crew were evacuated safely. Two Aegean flights, Thessaloniki to Milan and Athens to Vienna, were also among those disrupted.

At Copenhagen, two aircraft that landed on Thursday were inspected by city police and explosive ordnance specialists from the Danish Armed Forces. Neither inspection turned up suspicious objects. As of Friday, checks linked to the alerts had not found any explosive devices.

What remains unknown

Authorities have not established whether the incidents are connected, and no one has been identified as behind the threats. No group has claimed responsibility for the alerts. The Copenhagen investigation is ongoing, and police have not said how many threats were received or where they were aimed.