In short:
Passengers were met by armed AFP officers in Sydney overnight following a "threat" targeting the airport.
asserted
Passengers → meet → airport
The incident comes after nearly 30 flights across Europe were disrupted in a wave of bomb threats.
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flights → come → threats
Authorities have not identified who is responsible for any of the threats and no explosives have been found on any of the affected flights.
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explosives → identify → flights
A new wave of bomb threats targeting passenger planes across Europe has triggered emergency diversions, fighter jet escorts and airport evacuations, as authorities scramble to identify who is behind them.
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who → target → them
Nearly 30 flights were affected on Thursday, with aircraft diverted across several countries and passengers evacuated while specialist teams searched for explosives.
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teams → affect → explosives
At Sydney Airport on Thursday night, armed Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers met passengers arriving on an All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight from Tokyo.
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officers → meet → Tokyo
Patrick Wild was returning from a two-week holiday when ANA flight NH899 touched down in Sydney about 8pm.
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flight → return → Sydney
"We were told there was a security issue and that we'd have to stay onboard for another 20 minutes but that ended up being an hour and a half," Mr Wild said.
"
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Wild → tell → minutes
We eventually got off the plane and the AFP were waiting for us and told us in pretty bold terms to line up in a single file and drop all our bags on the floor.
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AFP → get → floor
"The dog ran up and down to check all our bags.
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dog → run → bags
He said passengers were then taken to an area near the duty-free shops, where they waited for another hour, before being told they could collect their luggage.
uncertain
they → say → luggage
"At no point did we get any communication about what was going on," he said.
"
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he → get → communication
It was only when I was reading the news that I realised there had been bomb threats made overseas and that maybe something similar had happened."
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something → read → news
In a statement, the AFP confirmed it conducted "precautionary searches after threats were sent to an airport" just after 6pm on Thursday.
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threats → confirm → Thursday
"The safety and security of Australian airports, passengers and airport staff is our priority," an AFP spokesperson said.
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spokesperson → say → airports
Officials are yet to confirm whether the Sydney security incident is linked to the wave of threats targeting European aviation.
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incident → confirm → aviation
Is it safe to fly in Europe right now?
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it → fly → Europe
There is no evidence that explosives have been found on any of the aircraft searched in the latest wave of threats.
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explosives → be → threats
All reported incidents have so far been treated as false alarms.
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incidents → report → alarms
But British aviation security commentator Julian Bray told ABC Radio National that authorities cannot take chances.
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authorities → tell → chances
"It might be a hoax, but as far as we're concerned, this is absolutely for real," he said.
uncertain
he → concern → ?
Britain's Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described them as "malicious hoax threats".
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Secretary → describe → threats
The European Union has activated an aviation security information-sharing mechanism — essentially a group chat — enabling countries to share information about the threats and whether they are connected.
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they → activate → threats
Which airlines have been targeted?
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airlines → target → ?
- Ryanair
- Wizz Air
- Aer Lingus
- Finnair
- LOT Polish Airlines
- easyJet
- Iberia
- Air Europa
- Air Serbia
- Aegean Airlines
- SAS (Scandinavian Airlines)
At least 27 flights were disrupted across Europe on Thursday.
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flights → disrupt → Thursday
The identity of those responsible remains unknown.
But Mr Bray said a series of emails sent to aviation-related accounts have been attributed to Russia.
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series → remain → Russia
"A series of emails to unmonitored boxes are going out and they're going at two at a time and they have strap lines saying 'bomb threat', and they're supposed to be from the fighters of the Male State," he said.
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he → go → State
Mr Bray said other possibilities should not be ruled out, including involvement by North Korea or China.
"
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possibilities → say → Korea
Other people are saying we shouldn't exclude the fact that North Korea and China might be interested in doing this and it might be a diversionary tactic."
uncertain
it → say → this
What happens when a plane receives a bomb threat?
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plane → happen → threat
A threat can be relayed to air traffic control, which passes the information to the pilot.
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which → relay → pilot
The captain assesses the situation and is given options, including diverting or continuing to the destination.
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captain → assess → destination
Mr Bray said threats were graded according to their urgency.
"
uncertain
threats → say → urgency
They do grade these calls between extremely urgent, not so, and possibly, well, we'll look at it.
uncertain
we → grade → it
But everyone so far has been classified as very urgent indeed," he said.
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he → classify → ?
What happens when the plane lands?
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plane → happen → ?
Aircraft are directed to a remote part of the airport, where passengers are evacuated and emergency services are waiting.
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services → direct → airport
Mr Bray said bomb detection dogs were then brought on board, while cabin crew also searched the aircraft using a grid pattern.
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crew → say → pattern
The aircraft and luggage must be checked before the plane can be cleared.
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plane → check → ?
Does travel insurance cover a bomb threat?
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insurance → cover → threat
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
