A wave of bomb threats targeted approximately ten commercial flights across Europe on Thursday, forcing unscheduled landings, military escorts and emergency inspections in France, Austria, Bulgaria, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Italy.
The incidents follow a similar series of threats earlier in the week, which prompted emergency searches, briefly shut down an airport near Warsaw, and led the Italian Air Force to escort a Ryanair plane into Rome. At least seven flights and a cruise ship were affected in those earlier incidents. No explosive devices were found in any case.
The first incident to become public on Thursday involved an Aer Lingus Airbus A320 flying from Dublin to Rome. The aircraft was diverted to the Evreux military airbase west of Paris after a bomb threat was reported.
France's air force said it dispatched planes "as soon as the incident was reported." "The aircraft has been diverted and is being escorted to Evreux airfield," it said.
The office of French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu confirmed the plane had landed safely. A bomb squad was in place at the airfield, and 151 passengers and six crew members were moved to safety. Lecornu's office said it was monitoring the situation "in real time."
According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, the aircraft turned near Paris and was circling over the Evreux area after declaring an in-flight emergency.
In Italy, a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome landed at its scheduled destination but was escorted by a fighter jet. Bomb disposal experts subsequently inspected the aircraft. A separate Finnair Helsinki-Vienna flight, operated by Jettime, also received a threat but landed normally in Vienna.
A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Warsaw made an unscheduled landing in Vienna after a bomb threat was reported. The airline confirmed the diversion was carried out "in accordance with established safety protocols and procedures."
Bulgaria reported three aircraft making emergency landings due to bomb threats. Flights from Copenhagen and Madrid landed in Sofia, according to the country's interior minister. Local media reported a third flight, from London, landing in Plovdiv.
In Belgium, Polish carrier LOT confirmed that one of its flights, LO235 from Warsaw to Brussels, landed safely at Brussels Zaventem airport after receiving a security alert. "Following receipt of information regarding a potential security threat to flight LO235 from Warsaw to Brussels, the flight crew was notified of the situation and conducted an onboard inspection in accordance with established procedures. No suspicious items were found," a LOT spokesperson said. An additional inspection by security services at the airport also found nothing dangerous or suspicious.
Czech police said they were preparing for four aircraft to land at Prague airport after threats involving improvised explosive devices were reported on board. "We assess the relevance of the threats as low," police said. "Nevertheless, we do not underestimate the threat, which is why all necessary security measures have been activated with the least possible impact on passengers and airport operations." Police added that all aircraft would undergo pyrotechnic inspections upon landing.
The prior threats earlier in the week were subsequently confirmed to be hoaxes, though they still triggered major security mobilisations and diversions. The airlines targeted included LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air and Ryanair.
No one has claimed responsibility for any of the threats, and officials have not attributed blame.
The disruptions to commercial aviation have coincided with a series of apparent cyberattacks targeting freezer units in major supermarkets and French blood banks. Authorities have not confirmed a direct link, but analysts note the incidents share characteristics of so-called hybrid attacks, designed to cause maximum disruption with minimal effort and resources.
The situation remains developing.
