Finnair flights from Helsinki to Rome and Vienna were targeted by false bomb threats on Thursday, 5 November, prompting security checks and an emergency response by local authorities.
Finnair confirmed that a bomb threat had been made against flight AY1761 from Helsinki to Rome, but subsequent inspections found no evidence of a security threat. The airline’s communications manager, Stiina Tuunanen, confirmed the incident to Finnish public broadcaster Yle.
“I can confirm that this flight was the target of a bomb threat today, 5 November, which has been found to be false,” Tuunanen told Yle by phone.
The aircraft landed at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport at 9.27am as scheduled. Local authorities were waiting for the plane and carried out an inspection after it arrived. According to Tuunanen, the checks found nothing unusual on board.
Italian fighter jets also escorted the aircraft as it approached and landed at the airport, Italian public broadcaster Rai reported.
A second false bomb threat was reported against a Finnair flight travelling from Helsinki to Vienna on the same day, Tuunanen confirmed. However, the Vienna-bound service was operated by Jettime rather than Finnair itself.
The two incidents come amid a series of similar threats reported at airports and against airlines across Europe. Tuunanen said the latest cases were not isolated incidents, noting that several airports and airlines had faced comparable bomb threats over the previous week.
She did not confirm how Finnair was informed about the threat or precisely when the warning was received.
Although both threats were found to be false, the incidents required security responses involving authorities in the affected countries. The Rome flight continued to its destination and landed as scheduled, while inspections after arrival found no suspicious items or unusual activity on board.
