Bomb threat prompts inspection on Finnair flight at Helsinki-Vantaa airport from Geneva

On a Finnair flight that arrived at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport on Monday afternoon from Geneva, Switzerland, a bomb threat written on a piece of paper was discovered. Police were waiting to inspect the aircraft and the luggage of roughly 90 passengers when it landed.

Passenger Harri Louhos mentioned that there were no signs of trouble prior to landing. “I travel quite a bit, and I wondered why we went behind the terminal, where there are high metal walls. There were police cars, a fire truck, and an ambulance waiting.”

According to Louhos, the flight captain announced that the aircraft would be inspected and that passengers would have to disembark without their hand luggage, without providing a detailed reason for the situation. Passengers were transferred to buses that took them to the terminal. After the aircraft was inspected, they returned to collect their hand luggage. At this point, checked baggage had been placed on the tarmac for police dogs to sniff.

Upon returning to the terminal, the hand luggage was screened and manually checked. Passengers then waited for their checked baggage, which was still being examined. Louhos noted that there was no drama; families with young children were onboard, and everything proceeded relatively calmly. It took about two hours to retrieve their belongings and leave the airport.

Louhos pointed out that neither the flight crew nor the police disclosed that a bomb threat was involved. “I think that’s their policy—not to incite unnecessary hysteria. It’s better not to know anything, as responses can vary.” He recognized one of the vehicles at the scene belonged to a specialized bomb disposal unit, which clarified the situation for him. Ultimately, the situation unfolded quietly, with Louhos praising the actions of the flight crew and police as exemplary. “It was an unpleasant delay, as travel delays always are, but fortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm.”