At least 27 passenger flights and a cruise ship across Europe received hoax bomb threats this week, prompting diversions, fighter-jet escorts and security searches. No explosives were found.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
Hoax bomb threats have disrupted air travel across Europe this week, affecting at least 27 passenger flights on Thursday, November 5, and at least seven flights plus an Israel-bound cruise ship on Tuesday, November 3.
Authorities in multiple European countries responded to bomb threats on Thursday. Fighter jets were dispatched to intercept an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome, which was escorted to France’s Évreux military airbase. Bulgaria’s air force deployed fighter jets to accompany three passenger aircraft during landings. A Ryanair flight from London to Sofia was diverted to Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second-largest city.
Spanish police received three bomb-threat emails within 20 minutes concerning two Air Europa flights from Madrid to Paris and four Iberia flights arriving from Rome and Milan. Several aircraft were stopped or returned to their parking stands while passengers disembarked and security inspections were carried out.
At Warsaw Airport, a LOT Polish Airlines flight bound for Paris was halted while taxiing towards the runway, and passengers were transferred to another aircraft. Danish police searched two aircraft at Copenhagen Airport following security alerts.
Other threatened services operated by EasyJet, Finnair, LOT, Wizz Air, Ryanair and Air Serbia reached their scheduled destinations, including Prague, Sofia, Vienna, Brussels, Bucharest, Rome and Milan. Some received military escorts.
On Tuesday, at least seven flights and an Israel-bound cruise ship were targeted. All of the planes landed safely, and searches found no explosives. The airlines affected included Ryanair, Wizz Air, Scandinavian Airlines and the Polish carrier LOT. Ryanair appeared to be the hardest hit, with four of its flights to different destinations being targeted.
In Poland, two Warsaw-bound flights were targeted. Scandinavian Airlines Flight SK751 from Copenhagen landed at Warsaw Chopin Airport, which closed a runway while the plane was inspected. A LOT Polish Airlines flight from London’s Heathrow was diverted to Warsaw Modlin, which was closed after the alert. The plane, a Boeing 737 Max, landed safely, and nothing was found.
In Italy, two Eurofighter jets escorted Ryanair Flight FR9611 from Dublin into Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, where it landed at 10:45am local time. An earlier Ryanair flight from Lisbon that landed at Fiumicino at 9:40am was also subjected to anti-bomb procedures. Checks of passengers, luggage and the plane were all negative and the alert was lifted.
In Spain, Aena, the national airport operator, said it had activated an emergency protocol “due to a bomb alert” on a Ryanair flight from Manchester. The plane landed in Murcia at 10:30am without incident.
In Bulgaria, a Wizz Air flight from Bergamo, Italy, was inspected after landing in Sofia. A Ryanair flight from Dublin to Sofia was also targeted. No explosives were found on either plane.
The threats followed a similar episode on Monday, when a Wizz Air flight from London’s Luton Airport to Sofia received a bomb threat in midair and was diverted to Budapest. Hungarian Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said on Facebook that NATO’s air-defence alert service had flagged the flight and that Hungarian Gripen fighter jets “took to the air within minutes” and escorted it safely to the ground.
Late on Tuesday, the Greek Coast Guard said a Panama-flagged cruise ship, the Crown Iris, had been evacuated while anchored off the island of Syros after a bomb threat. The ship was carrying about 1,500 passengers and crew and was bound for Haifa, Israel. No device was found, and the ship was expected to resume its voyage.
The incidents have raised concerns about possible coordinated disruption at a time when several European governments have accused Russia of conducting sabotage and other hybrid operations. Denmark, Poland and Romania, all affected by Thursday’s disruptions, have previously accused Russia of involvement in hybrid operations. Germany has also attributed an attack at Leipzig Airport in August to Russia. Britain has previously made similar allegations against Moscow and linked Iran to a suspected plot targeting a US airbase. Both Russia and Iran have denied the accusations.
No one claimed responsibility, and officials did not attribute blame. No evidence has yet established that Russia, Iran or any other state was responsible for the latest aviation incidents. Aviation security specialists have cautioned that the threats could also have originated from individuals acting on personal grievances or people copying earlier incidents.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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Hoax bomb threats forced multiple European flights to divert or land on November 5, following similar threats against at least seven flights and a cruise ship on November 3. No explosives were found.
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