A series of bomb threats across Europe led to significant disruptions on Thursday, affecting at least 10 flights and resulting in emergency landings in France, Bulgaria, and Belgium. Fighter jets were deployed in Italy to escort one of the diverted aircraft, and additional security protocols were activated on a flight that landed in Belgium.
An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was rerouted to Évreux-Fauville Air Base in France after its pilots declared an emergency by using the squawk code 7700 while flying over the country. The plane changed course near Paris and circled before landing safely. French authorities reported that the flight was carrying 151 passengers and six crew members, all of whom were moved to safety. A bomb disposal unit was dispatched to inspect the aircraft, though the results of the check have yet to be disclosed, according to the office of French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
In Bulgaria, three passenger planes, including two originating from Copenhagen and Madrid, were forced to land due to bomb threats. The Bulgarian Interior Ministry confirmed that these flights landed safely at Sofia Airport, while a third plane arriving from London targeted Plovdiv Airport. Details about the airlines involved and the outcomes of security inspections were not immediately available.
In Belgium, a flight operated by Polish airline LOT was also diverted to Brussels’ Zaventem Airport following a security alert. Further specifics regarding this incident remain undisclosed. Meanwhile, a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome experienced a bomb threat en route and was escorted by Italian Air Force jets until it landed at Fiumicino Airport safely, as confirmed by a Finnair spokesperson.
Thursday’s threats follow a wave of similar incidents earlier in the week involving seven flights bound for various European destinations, all of which landed safely, and inspections revealed no explosives. The series of alerts included bomb threats against two Ryanair flights arriving in Rome, which also required military escort.
Modlin Airport in Poland faced a temporary closure when a LOT flight from London to Warsaw was diverted. Passengers, including a group of Jewish students from a London high school, were evacuated, and security forces conducted a search of the plane before operations resumed at the airport.
The threats are not isolated to aviation. On the same day, authorities investigated an allegation regarding a possible explosive device on the Israeli cruise ship Crown Iris, docked on the island of Syros, Greece. Security checks concluded with no findings, allowing passengers to return to the ship.
No suspects have been identified in any of the bomb threats, and authorities have not established a link between the various incidents. These alerts come amidst a heightened concern in Europe regarding potential disruptions and sabotage, with officials previously attributing some hybrid attacks to state actors like Russia and Iran, although no current evidence connects these nations to the bomb threats involving flights.
Further investigations into the incidents are ongoing, as security agencies across Europe respond to the threats.
