14 European flights face new bomb threats amid regional security concerns
Eurocontrol tracks a rise in hoaxes that forced diversions in Hungary, France, and the Czech Republic, while broadcasters in Ireland and the UK also receive alerts.
By Matthew Collins ·
European air traffic controllers reported a new wave of bomb threats against multiple flights on Friday, following a series of hoaxes that disrupted aviation across the continent this week.
Eurocontrol, the European air traffic authority, identified 14 flights under threat on Thursday. This number represented 0.05% of the nearly 26,300 flights operating across the European network that day. The agency also recorded seven threatened flights on Tuesday. Officials described the cumulative impact on aviation as minimal despite the increased volume of alerts.
Specific incidents included three passenger planes in Hungary that received threats within a single hour on Friday. Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi stated that military fighter jets escorted these flights across the country's airspace. The affected routes included travel from Brussels to Sofia, Prague to Cyprus, and Prague to Romania. In France, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's office announced four new threats against aircraft flying over French territory on Friday. These planes landed safely at Paris' Orly Airport, where bomb disposal experts conducted inspections. Authorities did not release details on the specific airlines or routes for the French flights.
Other disruptions occurred in the Czech Republic and on routes involving Romanian and Irish carriers. A Tarom flight from Prague to Bucharest and a Ryanair flight from Lisbon to Rome received threats. A WizzAir flight traveling from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice following a bomb alert, leading to the evacuation of passengers. Czech police at Prague's Vaclav Havel Airport confirmed that nine flights were threatened, including arrivals from Denmark, Spain, and Britain, and departures to the Netherlands, Cyprus, Romania, Italy, and Britain. Spokesperson Denisa Hejtmánková reported that security measures had a minimal impact on normal operations. In Copenhagen, police visited the airport for a second consecutive day as a precautionary measure, assessing that no danger existed to passengers.
Security teams searched the aircraft and found no suspicious items or explosives in any of the reported cases. No one was injured during the incidents. The wave of hoaxes follows other recent disruptions in Europe, including attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems and drone incursions. Authorities have not attributed the threats to a specific group or state actor, though the timing coincides with warnings that Russia may be increasing hybrid threats in the region. An email reviewed by the Associated Press, sent to Rome authorities on Thursday, purported to come from an anti-feminist group targeting a "feminist regime." A similar threat was sent to another European airport, but it is unclear if the sender was the same.
Paul Reuter, vice president of the European Cockpit Association, said pilots are prepared to respond professionally to these threats. He noted that crews review procedures, identify diversion airports, and may carry extra fuel. Reuter described the use of civil aviation for geopolitical disruption as "totally unacceptable." Broadcasters also came under threat during this period. The headquarters of Ireland's national broadcaster RTE in Dublin was evacuated on Friday after a bomb alert. Live broadcasts were replaced with pre-recorded programs for a few hours until police and sniffer dogs cleared the building. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin stated that the incidents illustrate how simple it is to cause disruption through unconventional activities designed to cause fear. He confirmed a "very significant security operation" would be in place next week when Dublin hosts meetings of the European Political Community and European Union leaders. U.K.-based broadcaster Sky News also reported receiving a "security threat" but remained on air while working closely with authorities.
Eurocontrol said it is monitoring the situation and working with airlines, airports, and navigation service providers to mitigate disruption to air traffic flows. Police in Denmark and Czechia are continuing their investigations into the series of alerts.
