Bomb Threats Force Dozen European Flights to Land or Divert
Military jets escorted multiple aircraft to safety as authorities investigated a series of coordinated email hoaxes targeting routes in Italy, Bulgaria, and France.
By Samuel Hayes ·
More than a dozen commercial flights across Europe faced bomb threats on Thursday, triggering a cascade of emergency landings and military interceptions. Authorities confirmed no hazardous materials were found on any of the targeted planes, characterizing the incidents as malicious hoaxes. The disruptions affected airlines operating out of Helsinki, Dublin, London, Copenhagen, Madrid, and Milan, with flights diverted to or landing safely in Rome, Sofia, Plovdiv, and Evreux.
An email sent on behalf of a group identifying as anti-feminist was linked to threats against planes bound for Rome. An airport official provided a copy of the message to The Associated Press. Another European airport official said their threat also came from an anti-feminist group using similar language. It remained unclear if the two messages originated from the same source. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the details publicly.
In France, an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to a military air base in Evreux. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s office stated that warplanes were ordered to intercept the aircraft because the pilot did not cooperate as expected with authorities. The plane landed safely at the base, which was placed on high alert. Military bomb disposal teams examined the aircraft, and a Red Cross vehicle was positioned nearby while explosive experts with dogs searched the interior.
Italian air force fighter jets escorted a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome after it received an email threat. Finnair confirmed that two of its flights faced unfounded hoax bomb scares. The second flight, operated by Jettime from Helsinki to Vienna, landed safely and was scheduled to return to service after an inspection. Three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia, Bulgaria, also received military escorts and made emergency landings. Two landed in Sofia, while a third from London was diverted to Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second-largest city, according to Plovdiv Airport CEO Krassimir Peshev.
Czech police searched four planes that landed in Prague after receiving threats, finding nothing. A LOT Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw to Brussels also landed for inspection, as did a Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest. In Austria, a flight to Warsaw landed in Vienna after an email containing an abstract threat was sent to Polish authorities. Police spokesperson Stefan Loidl said nothing was found and the plane continued its journey. Air Serbia reported that a flight from Belgrade to Bucharest underwent checks after a hoax threat and resumed regular operations.
Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Bruegel think tank in Brussels, described the threats as a stress test for European governments and airport officials. He said the goal appeared to be sowing chaos and uncertainty about the reliability of European air traffic. Joji Waites, who heads flight safety at the British Airline Pilots’ Association, noted that the industry uses proven mechanisms to handle such threats, including a red-amber-green color-coding system for threat levels.
Philip Baum, a visiting professor of aviation security at Coventry University, estimated that each flight disruption could cost airlines up to $250,000. He cited costs for replacement crews, passengers missing connections, and operational desynchronization. He added that the expenses for military escorts would be borne by governments rather than airlines.
Britain's transport secretary Heidi Alexander told broadcasters that flights across Europe were hit by malicious hoax threats. European Union Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas told reporters in Dublin that it was too early to draw conclusions on whether the incidents were linked. He confirmed that national investigations were ongoing and that an EU information-sharing mechanism on aviation security had been activated.
The threats followed a busy week of disruptions in Europe, including a plane headed for Bulgaria being diverted to Hungary after a similar threat. Airlines affected this week include Polish airline LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air, and Ryanair. No one was injured in the earlier incidents. The events occur amid increased geopolitical tensions and warnings that Russia may be ramping up hybrid threats in Europe.
