Airlines Report Bomb Threats on 12 European Flights

At least 12 European flights have been targeted by bomb threats, with several planes receiving fighter jet escorts and at least two flights being diverted, authorities and airlines have said.

The threats marked the third consecutive day of mass bomb alerts across Europe. They mainly targeted low-cost airlines and flights travelling to or from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Italy. Fighter jets from Italy, France and Bulgaria were deployed to respond to the alerts.

However, all the affected aircraft landed safely, and security checks found no explosives. More than 20 false bomb threats have been reported across Europe this week. Low-cost carrier Ryanair has been targeted at least seven times.

Three Ryanair flights heading to Sofia, Bulgaria, from Madrid, Copenhagen and London Stansted received bomb threats, a spokesperson for Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport told AFP.

Two of the aircraft landed in Sofia, while the flight from London Stansted was diverted to Plovdiv Airport, east of the Bulgarian capital. Bulgaria’s Air Force deployed fighter jets to escort all three aircraft. The Defence Ministry said the missions were intended to “detect, identify and escort the aircraft”.

An Interior Ministry spokesperson later confirmed that security teams had inspected all three planes and found no explosives.

A Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome also received a fighter jet escort from the Italian Air Force. Bomb experts inspected the aircraft after it landed at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport. Finnair spokesperson Stiina Tuunanen confirmed that “nothing unusual was found” on the plane.

Tuunanen said the airline follows a clear safety process and works closely with local authorities during such incidents. She also confirmed that another false bomb threat had targeted flight AY1471 from Helsinki to Vienna, but did not provide further details.

Meanwhile, a Wizz Air flight travelling from Milan to Warsaw was diverted to Vienna after receiving a threat. The airline said it carried out the diversion “in accordance with established safety protocols and procedures”.

Another Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest landed safely at its destination. Romania’s intelligence service said airport authorities later set up a crisis unit at Henri Coanda Airport. An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was also diverted to France following a bomb threat. French authorities said military aircraft escorted it to the Evreux air base, west of Paris.

In a statement, Aer Lingus confirmed that the flight had landed safely. It added that the airline would work to help affected passengers reach their final destination.

Four other planes heading to Prague were targeted by threats. Ryanair, EasyJet and Sky Express operated the aircraft. Czech police said they considered the threats unlikely to be credible but had activated security measures.

“We perceive the credibility of the threats as low. Nevertheless, we are not underestimating the situation, and all necessary security measures have been activated,” the police said on X.

Prague Airport spokesperson Denisa Hejtmankova told AFP the airport received the threats via emails from anonymous addresses. Authorities had not confirmed which airlines were involved.

Two aircraft arriving in Copenhagen were also targeted. However, Copenhagen police said there was no threat to passengers or other people at the airport.

“Our assessment is that there is no danger, and there has never been any danger, to passengers or anyone else at the airport,” the police said.

The origin and motive behind the threats remain unknown. However, the incidents come following growing concerns about hybrid attacks across Europe, some of which authorities have linked to Russia or Iran.

France’s Secretary-General for Defence and National Security, Nicolas Roche, told parliament last month that Europe was witnessing a rise in different forms of hybrid attacks. He listed sabotage, cyberattacks, drone activity and espionage among the threats facing the region.

The latest incidents follow another wave of false bomb alerts earlier in the week.

On Tuesday, 10 flights received bomb threats, all of which were later found to be hoaxes. The alerts led to the temporary closure of an airport in Warsaw and the deployment of Italian fighter jets to escort aircraft.

On Monday, a Wizz Air flight from London Luton Airport to Sofia was also diverted to Budapest after a bomb threat, forcing an emergency landing.