European flights face new wave of bomb threats

European air traffic controllers reported a new round of bomb threats against multiple flights on Friday. Officials noted the incidents followed a string of hoaxes that caused diversions earlier in the week. Two major broadcasters also received security threats on the same day. No suspicious items were found, and no passengers or staff were injured.

The threats arrived while European nations dealt with other recent disruptions, including attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems and drone incursions. Eurocontrol, the European air traffic authority, stated that the threats caused minimal disruption to aviation across the continent. The agency was aware of bomb threats against 14 flights on Thursday. That number represented just 0.05% of the nearly 26,300 flights across the European network that day. Seven flights faced similar alerts on Tuesday.

In Hungary, defense minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said military fighter jets escorted three separate passenger planes across the country's airspace. The jets took to the sky within an hour after each plane received a threat. The flights were operating out of Brussels, Prague, and toward Sofia, Cyprus, and Romania.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's office announced that four new bomb threats targeted aircraft flying over French territory on Friday. The planes landed safely at Paris' Orly Airport. Bomb disposal experts conducted inspections of the aircraft. The office did not provide details on which specific flights were affected. Other incidents included threats against a Tarom flight from Prague to Bucharest and a Ryanair flight from Lisbon to Rome.

A WizzAir flight from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice after a bomb alert. Passengers were evacuated after the aircraft landed. Security inspections were carried out, and no explosives were found. Eurocontrol said it was monitoring the situation and working closely with airlines, airports, and navigation service providers to mitigate any disruption to air traffic flows.

At Prague's Vaclav Havel Airport, spokesperson Denisa Hejtmánková said a total of nine flights were threatened. The list included arriving flights from Denmark, Spain, and Britain, and departing flights to the Netherlands, Cyprus, Romania, Italy, and Britain. Czech police said security measures were taken that had a minimal impact on normal operations at the airport. In Copenhagen, police went to the airport for a second consecutive day in connection with threats directed at air traffic. They assessed that there had been no danger to passengers or others at the airport.

Authorities have not attributed the threats to any group or state actor. An email containing a threat sent to airport authorities in Rome on Thursday purported to come from a group describing itself as anti-feminist. The group claimed it was targeting a feminist regime. Another European airport received a threat with similar wording, but it is unclear if it came from the same sender. Paul Reuter, vice president of the European Cockpit Association, said the use of civil aviation for geopolitical disruption is totally unacceptable. Pilots are prepared to respond professionally by reviewing procedures and carrying extra fuel.

In Ireland, the Dublin headquarters of national broadcaster RTE was evacuated on Friday after a bomb threat. Live broadcasts were replaced with pre-recorded programs. Staff returned to the building after a few hours once police and sniffer dogs searched the area and declared it safe. Irish police force An Garda Síochána said it has been liaising with Irish media organizations. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the threats illustrate how simple it can be to cause disruption through unconventional activities. He noted a very significant security operation would be in place next week when Dublin hosts meetings of the European Political Community and European Union leaders. U.K.-based broadcaster Sky said it had also received a security threat but remained on air. It is not clear if the incidents were linked.