Dozen European flights diverted after fresh wave of bomb threats
Authorities confirmed more than a dozen diversions across five countries on Thursday, following earlier hoaxes that prompted military escorts and searches this week.
By Allison Rojas ·
More than a dozen flights across Europe were diverted or inspected on Thursday due to reported bomb threats.
European authorities confirmed that the incidents involved aircraft originating from or traveling to Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, Madrid, Milan, Warsaw, and London. Most planes made emergency landings at alternate airports, while others arrived at their scheduled destinations. Inspections have not yet identified hazardous or suspicious materials on any of the targeted aircraft.
The latest round of disruptions follows a series of hoax threats earlier in the week that forced similar searches and diversions. Officials noted that these events occur amid heightened geopolitical tensions and other operational disruptions, including drone incursions and alerts on passenger devices. Authorities have warned that hybrid threats are common in the current security environment.
Czech police searched four planes that landed in Prague after being targeted. The searches came back clear, though officials did not specify the flights' points of origin. In France, a flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to a military air base in Evreux, Normandy. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's office stated that the plane landed safely with 151 passengers and six crew members aboard. Military bomb disposal teams began examining the aircraft immediately after landing.
In Italy, a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome landed at Leonardo da Vinci airport around 9:30 a.m. local time. An airport official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said the plane was escorted by Italian air force fighter jets. The official confirmed that an emailed bomb threat was received and that police bomb disposal experts completed security clearance procedures without finding explosives.
Polish authorities managed two separate incidents at Warsaw's Chopin Airport. One LOT flight bound for Brussels landed at its destination, where inspectors found no hazardous items. Another LOT flight scheduled to depart for Paris was checked after a threat was reported. Airport spokesman Piotr Rudzki said no threat was ultimately identified, but one runway was temporarily closed for standard security procedures. A separate flight to Warsaw landed in Vienna after Polish authorities received a mail containing an abstract threat. Police spokesperson Stefan Loidl said nothing was found, and the plane continued to its destination. Loidl also noted an abstract threat concerning four other flights at Vienna Airport, which did not disrupt operations.
Three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia, Bulgaria, made emergency landings. Two planes, one from Copenhagen and one from Madrid, landed safely at Sofia's Vasil Levski Airport. The third flight, originating from London's Stansted Airport, diverted to Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second-largest city. Plovdiv Airport CEO Krassimir Peshev confirmed the plane landed safely. A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest also landed safely in Bucharest following a bomb threat, according to airport spokesman Teo Postelnicu.
Earlier this week, several flights operated by LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air, and Ryanair received hoax bomb threats. One plane headed for Bulgaria was diverted to Hungary after receiving a similar threat while in flight. No passengers or crew were injured in any of the incidents this week.
