European Airlines Divert Dozens of Flights After Wave of Bomb Threats
Emergency landings occurred in France, Bulgaria, and Austria following threats received by carriers including Ryanair, LOT, and Finnair.
By Anthony Foster ·
Dozens of commercial flights across Europe were forced to alter their paths or land in emergency zones on Thursday following a surge in bomb threats. Authorities confirmed that more than a dozen aircraft from cities such as Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, Madrid, Milan, and Warsaw were targeted. Most of these planes diverted to alternative airports for immediate inspection, while others completed their landings at intended destinations. Initial security sweeps have not yet revealed any suspicious materials or hazardous items on board.
In France, a plane traveling from Dublin to Rome was rerouted to a military air base in Evreux, Normandy. The office of Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu stated that the aircraft landed safely with 151 passengers and six crew members on board. Military bomb disposal teams began examining the plane immediately after it touched down. The government said it is monitoring the situation in real time but has not released further details on the nature of the threat.
In Bulgaria, three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia faced similar disruptions. Two planes, originating from Copenhagen and Madrid, made emergency landings at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport. A third flight from London’s Stansted Airport diverted to Plovdiv, the country’s second-largest city. Krassimir Peshev, the CEO of Plovdiv Airport, confirmed that the aircraft landed safely. Meanwhile, a LOT Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw to Brussels arrived at its destination and cleared security checks without incident.
A Finnair jet from Helsinki to Rome landed at Leonardo da Vinci airport around 9:30 a.m. local time. Italian air force fighter jets escorted the plane on its final approach. An airport official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said an emailed bomb threat had triggered the protocol. Police bomb disposal experts completed their clearance procedures and found no explosives.
In Austria, a flight destined for Warsaw landed in Vienna after Polish authorities received a mail containing an abstract threat. Stefan Loidl, a police spokesperson in Lower Austria, said nothing was found on the aircraft, which then continued its journey to Warsaw. Loidl also noted that four other flights faced similar abstract threats concerning Vienna Airport, though daily operations were not disrupted.
At Warsaw’s Chopin Airport, security officials checked a LOT flight preparing to depart for Paris on Thursday morning after a threat was reported. Piotr Rudzki, the airport spokesman, said one runway was temporarily closed during standard security procedures. No specific threat was ultimately identified, and the flight proceeded.
These incidents follow a series of hoax bomb threats earlier this week that affected carriers including Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air, and Ryanair. Those earlier hoaxes prompted searches, diversions, and in one case a military escort. The latest wave of threats arrives amid rising geopolitical tensions and other disruptions in Europe, such as drone incursions and attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems. Authorities have warned that hybrid threats are currently abundant.
A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest also landed safely after receiving a bomb threat, according to airport spokesman Teo Postelnicu. All confirmed incidents from Thursday have resulted in safe landings so far, with no reports of injuries among passengers or crew.
