Police assess every bomb threat against Helsinki airport flights

Police take every bomb threat against a flight at Helsinki Airport seriously and assess each case individually, Yle reports. At least two Finnair flights departing Helsinki faced threats last Thursday, as dozens of false bomb threats were reported against flights across Europe last week.

The Finnair flights were bound for Vienna and Rome. Traficom aviation director Jukka Hannola said the threats appeared intended to cause disruption and uncertainty.

Inspector Miika Laine of the Eastern Uusimaa Police Department, which is responsible for security at Helsinki Airport, said police work with the airline and airport operator Finavia. Other authorities, including the Finnish Border Guard and Customs, may also be involved, depending on the case.

Police begin by assessing the risk, taking into account how the threat was made, its source and how reliably the original information can be traced. They also check whether the airport’s and airline’s security procedures are operating normally.

Laine said established procedures can substantially reduce the need for police action. Most situations are resolved through normal measures and do not require extensive special operations. Threats against flights arriving in Finland are assessed differently, with authorities also considering international information and its original source.

The recent threats against flights have proved false. Police determine whether a threat is false through their risk assessment, Laine said, stressing that every threat is investigated. He added that the current international political situation has not changed the threat level in Finland, and that periods with more threats are sometimes followed by quieter spells.