European Union Activates Data Sharing After Bomb Threats Disrupt 25 Flights
At least 25 flights were affected by false bomb threats across Europe this week, prompting the EU to open an information exchange mechanism between member states.
By Samuel Hayes ·
The European Commission activated an information-sharing mechanism among EU member states on Thursday following a series of false bomb threats that disrupted at least 25 flights.
The incidents began on Tuesday when the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport received communications regarding explosive threats on three flights. Aena, the airport operator, said the threats affected one flight departing for Paris and two arriving from Rome and Milan. A security committee formed with the National Police and Civil Guard evaluated the situation and later cleared the aircraft.
The disruption spread across the continent, involving countries including France, Belgium, Austria, Poland, Denmark, Ireland, Greece, Finland, Serbia, and Romania. Italy, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria were among the most impacted nations. The threats primarily affected low-cost carriers such as Ryanair, Wizz Air, and Aer Lingus, as well as national airlines like Iberia, Finnair, and Aegean Airlines.
In one notable case, a Dublin to Rome flight was diverted over French airspace. France 3 reported that two fighter jets escorted the plane to the Évreux air base east of Paris after the pilot refused to land at the military installation. Bulgarian transport authorities said three Ryanair flights bound for Bulgaria, departing from Madrid, London, and Copenhagen, were also escorted by military aircraft.
Finnair told state television YLE that one of its flights, carrying 144 passengers, was escorted by Italian fighter jets before landing safely in Rome. In Austria, Eurofighters also ascended to accompany threatened aircraft. Inspectors examined all affected planes and found no suspicious items, according to officials.
On the ground, Warsaw Chopin Airport temporarily closed one runway after a potential threat affected a LOT flight to Paris that had not yet departed. Piotr Rudzki, a spokesperson for Polish Airports, confirmed the closure. In Copenhagen, police and military bomb disposal teams responded to two parked aircraft. In the United Kingdom, authorities later dismissed threats at Heathrow and Birmingham airports as not credible. A plane in Cork, Ireland, also departed late due to a similar alert.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the EU commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, said on X that the commission is monitoring the situation closely and in contact with affected states and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. The agency stated that pilots and air traffic controllers are trained for such events and that the immediate risk to operational safety from isolated false threats is low. It added that it will continue to monitor the incidents for any potential impact on aviation security.
The International Air Transport Association condemned the attempts to disturb air traffic and urged authorities to find the source of the threats. A senior military official from NATO said the alliance is watching the situation and coordinating with allies who have responded to the threats in various ways, including emergency takeoffs and the transfer of some aircraft to NATO control.
