European Air Travel: Bomb Threats Force Dozens of Emergency Diversions
Military jets escorted several aircraft to French and Italian airfields after a wave of email threats attributed to an anti-feminist group.
By Amelia Gupta ·
European airspace has faced a surge of operational disruptions in recent weeks, including drone incursions and cyber attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems. On Thursday, more than a dozen flights across the continent received bomb threats, prompting emergency landings and military escorts.
British Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the incidents as "malicious hoax threats." No hazardous materials were found on the grounded aircraft. An email sent to an airport official on behalf of a group identifying as anti-feminist contained the threat for planes bound for Rome. Another official said their threat used similar language, though it remained unclear if the same group sent both messages.
The threats caused immediate financial and logistical burdens for airlines. Philip Baum, a visiting professor of aviation security at Coventry University, estimated that each disrupted flight could cost carriers up to $250,000. These costs stem from crew overtime, replacement staff, and missed passenger connections. Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Bruegel think tank, said the attacks appear designed to sow chaos and test the coordination of government responses.
Military forces played a visible role in managing the crisis. An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to Evreux in France after the pilot did not cooperate with authorities as expected. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s office said warplanes intercepted the jet, which landed safely at the high-alert military base. Explosive experts with dogs examined the aircraft on the tarmac, and French aviation security authorities opened an investigation.
Italian and Croatian air forces escorted a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome after it received an email threat. Croatian fighter jets initially intercepted the plane before handing it over to Italian jets. Finnair stated that two of its flights faced unfounded scares, with the second, operating to Vienna, landing safely. Three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia, Bulgaria, also received military escorts. Two landed in Sofia, while a third from London diverted to Plovdiv.
This week’s incidents followed a similar pattern earlier in the week, affecting airlines including LOT Polish Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air, and Ryanair. Czech police searched four planes in Prague and found nothing. A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest landed safely after checks revealed no explosives. A flight to Warsaw landed in Vienna after receiving an abstract threat, and operations at Vienna Airport continued despite four other unconfirmed alerts.
EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said in Dublin that it was too early to determine if the incidents were linked. National investigations remained ongoing, and an EU information-sharing mechanism on aviation security had been activated. The threats arrive amid geopolitical tensions and warnings that Russia may be increasing hybrid threats in Europe.
