More Than a Dozen Flights Diverted After Fake Bomb Threats

Passengers on more than a dozen European flights faced delays and forced landings on Thursday after receiving fake bomb threats. Authorities described the incidents as malicious hoaxes, noting that no dangerous or suspicious materials were found during inspections. The disruptions caused immediate financial strain on airlines and required government resources to manage the air traffic.

The threats arrived in a single day, a frequency that aviation experts say is unusual. An email sent to a Rome-bound aircraft claimed to be from an anti-feminist group. Another airport official reported receiving a similar message using comparable language. It is not yet confirmed if the same group sent both messages. The timing aligns with warnings that Russia may be increasing hybrid threats in Europe.

Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Bruegel think tank in Brussels, stated that the incidents are stress-testing how European governments and airports coordinate their responses. He said the goal appears to be sowing chaos regarding the reliability of air traffic. These disruptions can lead to cascading economic effects, including the costs of inspecting, investigating, and cleaning aircraft.

Philip Baum, a visiting professor of aviation security at Coventry University, estimated that each flight disruption costs airlines up to $250,000. He explained that crews often work outside their scheduled hours, and replacement staff may be needed. Passengers frequently miss connections, which disrupts the airline's schedule for the rest of the day. Governments also bear expenses, such as the cost of military escorts.

An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to a military air base in Evreux, France. French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu ordered warplanes to intercept the jet because the pilot did not cooperate as expected with authorities. The plane landed safely, and military bomb disposal teams examined the aircraft. Regional prosecutor Remi Coutin said the pilot and co-pilot are being questioned about the incident.

Italian air force fighter jets escorted a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome after an email threat was received. Finnair confirmed that two of its flights faced unfounded hoax bomb scares. The other flight, operated by Jettime from Helsinki to Vienna, landed safely and is expected to return to service after an inspection. Three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia, Bulgaria, also received military escorts.

Two of the Ryanair flights, one from Copenhagen and one from Madrid, landed safely in Sofia. The third flight from London was diverted to Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second-largest city, according to airport CEO Krassimir Peshev. Earlier in the week, similar threats targeted flights operated by Polish airline LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air, and Ryanair. A plane headed for Bulgaria was diverted to Hungary after a similar threat, with no injuries reported.

Czech police searched four planes that landed in Prague after being targeted by threats, finding nothing. A LOT Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw to Brussels underwent inspections that found no hazardous items. A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest landed safely after checks revealed no bomb. A flight to Warsaw landed in Vienna after an abstract threat was sent to Polish authorities, while Air Serbia resumed operations after a hoax threat on a Belgrade to Bucharest route.

Britain's transport secretary Heidi Alexander told broadcasters that flights across Europe were hit by malicious hoax threats. European Union Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said in Dublin that it was too early to determine if the incidents were linked. He added that an EU information-sharing mechanism on aviation security had been activated. National investigations remain ongoing in the affected countries.