European Airlines Divert Flights After New Wave of Bomb Threats
More than a dozen flights across Europe made emergency landings or were escorted by fighter jets on Thursday following reports of potential explosives.
By Marco Kapoor ·
A new series of bomb threats forced more than a dozen flights in Europe to change course or make emergency landings on Thursday. The incidents arrived just days after a similar wave of hoax threats disrupted travel across the continent earlier in the week.
Authorities confirmed that planes originating from Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, Madrid, Milan, and Warsaw were targeted. Most of these aircraft diverted to nearby airports for immediate inspection, while others completed their original routes. Initial checks at these sites have not found any hazardous or suspicious materials so far.
The disruption spread across multiple countries and carriers. In France, a flight from Dublin to Rome was rerouted to a military air base in Evreux, Normandy. The French prime minister’s office stated that the plane landed safely with 151 passengers and six crew members on board. Military bomb disposal teams are currently examining the aircraft, and the office said it is monitoring the situation in real time.
In Italy, a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome arrived at Leonardo da Vinci airport at approximately 9:30 a.m. local time. An airport official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, said the plane was escorted by Italian air force fighter jets. Police bomb disposal experts completed security clearance procedures and found no explosives.
Polish authorities handled several incidents involving LOT Polish Airlines. One flight from Warsaw to Brussels landed in Brussels, where inspections found no suspicious items. Another LOT flight bound for Paris from Warsaw’s Chopin Airport was checked before departure after a threat was reported. Airport spokesman Piotr Rudzki said no specific threat was identified, and one runway was temporarily closed during standard security procedures.
Bulgarian airports also absorbed diverted traffic. Three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia made emergency landings due to on-board threats. Two flights, one from Copenhagen and one from Madrid, landed safely at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport. A third flight from London’s Stansted Airport diverted to Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second-largest city. Plovdiv Airport CEO Krassimir Peshev confirmed the plane landed safely.
In Austria, a flight to Warsaw landed in Vienna after an abstract threat was sent to Polish authorities. Stefan Loidl, a police spokesperson in Lower Austria province, said nothing was found on the plane, which then continued to Warsaw. Loidl also noted that four other flights received abstract threats concerning Vienna Airport, but operations there were not disrupted.
Wizz Air reported that a flight from Milan to Bucharest landed safely in Bucharest following a bomb threat. Airport spokesman Teo Postelnicu confirmed the safe arrival. These events follow a previous round of hoax threats this week that affected airlines including Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air, and Ryanair. That earlier incident involved a plane headed for Bulgaria that was diverted to Hungary after receiving a similar warning in flight. No injuries were reported in either wave of incidents.
The latest threats occur amid increased geopolitical tensions and other disruptions in Europe, including attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems and drone incursions. Officials have warned that hybrid threats are common. Czech police said searches of four planes that landed in Prague were clear, though they did not specify where those flights originated.
