Multiple European airlines faced bomb threats on Thursday, causing diversions, emergency landings and fighter-jet escorts. No explosives were found, and authorities continue to investigate.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
Hoax bomb threats repeatedly disrupted flights across Europe this week, affecting airlines including Aer Lingus, Finnair, Wizz Air, LOT, Ryanair, EasyJet, Aegean Airlines, Iberia and Air Serbia.
On Thursday, bomb threats affected flights across London, Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki and other cities. Danish police investigated threats at Copenhagen Airport, while Czech police reported threats to planes departing from and landing in Prague.
Finnair said two of its flights received "unfounded or hoax" bomb threats on Thursday: one from Helsinki to Rome with 144 passengers and 7 crew members, and another from Helsinki to Vienna with 177 passengers and six crew members. Both flights landed safely, and local authorities in Rome and Vienna found nothing out of the ordinary.
Wizz Air confirmed that its flight from Milan’s Malpensa Airport to Bucharest’s Otopeni Airport, as well as another flight to Warsaw, were subject to bomb threats on Thursday. The Bucharest flight landed safely and was cleared after security checks; the Warsaw flight was diverted.
Aer Lingus diverted its Dublin to Rome flight to Normandy on Thursday morning. Polish airline LOT said two of its flights from Warsaw received security threats, and both were cleared following security inspections.
A French prosecutor opened an investigation into whether the pilot of an Aer Lingus plane refused to land in Evreux in northern France following a bomb threat. Prosecutor Remi Coutin said he would probe whether the refusal to comply amounts to a criminal offense.
On Tuesday, at least seven flights and a cruise ship received bomb threats across Europe. The incidents were described as "malicious hoax threats" by the U.K. government.
A Ryanair flight from Lisbon landed in Rome’s Fiumicino airport on Tuesday after receipt of an email reporting a bomb was on board. Police bomb disposal experts carried out security checks and found no explosives. The Italian Air Force scrambled two Eurofighters to intercept and escort a plane bound for Rome.
In Poland, a LOT flight from London’s Heathrow Airport to Warsaw was diverted to Modlin Airport after a bomb threat. LOT said "nothing was found on the aircraft."
No explosives have been found so far. Authorities have yet to identify those responsible, and no claim of responsibility has been independently verified.
European Union Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas cautioned it is "too early to draw conclusions on whether the reported incidents are linked," and said the EU-level information-sharing mechanism has been activated related to aviation security.
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 U.S. airbase. Both Russia and Iran have denied the accusations.
Aviation security specialists have cautioned that the threats could also have originated from individuals acting on personal grievances or people copying earlier incidents. No evidence has yet established that Russia, Iran or any other state was responsible for the latest aviation incidents.
The repeated threats have forced diversions, emergency landings and fighter-jet escorts across multiple countries, disrupting air travel and raising concerns about the vulnerability of essential infrastructure. The incidents coincided with cyberattacks targeting supermarket refrigeration systems and blood banks in Europe, though no connection has been established.
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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