KLM flight from Amsterdam to Bucharest & Tel Aviv targeted in bomb threat

A KLM flight on its way to Tel Aviv by way of a scheduled stopover in Bucharest was one of many passenger flights targeted by a bomb threat on Thursday. The flight departed Schiphol Airport outside of Amsterdam at 4:40 p.m., and a bomb threat was received at 7:30 p.m. Central European Time, according to a KLM spokesperson. The Romanian authorities also confirmed the incident.

The aircraft made the scheduled stop in Bucharest, at which point passengers and crew members were able to disembark. The aircraft was due to be inspected, and it was not immediately clear whether the next leg of the flight would continue, the airline stated.

At least 14 passenger flights in Europe dealt with bomb threats earlier in the day, and another aircraft was targeted in the evening. European flights also were targeted by this multiple times this week. Thus far, no explosives were found in any of the incidents.

The Dutch counterterrorism office, NCTV, said it did not yet know the origin of the bomb threats. "The number of bomb threats in such quick succession is striking and has the special attention of the NCTV," a spokesperson stated.

"Unfortunately, it is unavoidable that such reports are made. Airlines have special procedures for handling these reports." Such reports are always be taken seriously, the spokesperson continued.

Air France-KLM CEO Benjamin Smith said on Friday that this week was exceptional, as the airline executive has never seen bomb threats used to disrupt European air traffic in this way. Speaking during a presentation on his company's quarterly financial figures, Smith said the way it appears to be coordinated is particularly new. "We hope it doesn't cause consumers to fly less often, but we are not yet seeing that."

The comments were made many hours before the KLM flight was named in a threat. Smith said that the airline group is well prepared to deal with this type of threat, and therefore said it has "considerable confidence" that it would not have a significant impact on Air France-KLM operations.

One of the flights involved in a threat earlier on Thursday was an Aer Lingus aircraft flying from Dublin to Rome, which diverted to an air force base in Évreux, France, under escort by the French Air Force. A Finnair aircraft from Helsinki to Rome was escorted to the airport by the Italian Air Force.

Budget airline Wizz Air said that a flight from Milan to Warsaw also diverted to Vienna due to a bomb threat, before continuing on to the Polish capital after an inspection. The carrier also has a large presence in Bucharest. The Romanian intelligence service earlier confirmed that a flight operated by the Hungarian airline landed in Bucharest following a threat. That aircraft had departed from Milan.

One flight operated by Aegean Airlines and another serviced by Ryanair landed in Milan following bomb threats. They originated from Thessaloniki and Porto, respectively.

Bulgarian ministers said that three planes landed at airports in that country following bomb threats. Flights from Copenhagen and Madrid landed in Sofia, and an aircraft from London landed in Plovdiv, local media reported. During the searches, "no issues were found," according to the Ministry of Transport.

Four planes also landed in Prague following bomb threats. No explosives were found on those aircraft. The threats were not considered to be credible, the police reported earlier. Nevertheless, "all necessary security measures" were being taken.

In Belgium, a LOT Airlines aircraft from Warsaw landed safely at its destination of Brussels Airport following a suspicious report. According to the airport, no additional security measures are necessary. LOT Airlines confirms that nothing suspicious was found on the airplane.