At least 15 passenger flights across Europe were targeted by bomb threats on Thursday, November 5, triggering diversions, fighter-jet escorts and security operations at airports across the continent. Searches completed so far have found no explosives or other suspicious materials. The Washington Post
The incidents affected flights operated by Aer Lingus, Ryanair, Finnair, Wizz Air, LOT Polish Airlines and other carriers, with alerts reported in France, Italy, Austria, Bulgaria, Belgium, Romania and the Czech Republic.
Authorities have not publicly identified who is responsible for the threats or established whether the incidents are part of a coordinated campaign.
Aer Lingus flight EI402, travelling from Dublin to Rome with 151 passengers and six crew members, was diverted to Évreux-Fauville Air Base in Normandy after a bomb alert.
The Airbus A320 landed safely and passengers and crew were moved away from the aircraft while explosives specialists conducted a search. Aer Lingus described the diversion as a security precaution. French military aircraft were dispatched after the threat was reported, with reports indicating that a Rafale fighter escorted the airliner during its approach. Irish Examiner
Three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia were also targeted. The aircraft originated in Madrid, Copenhagen and London Stansted. The Madrid and Copenhagen services landed in Sofia, while the flight from London was diverted to Plovdiv.
Bulgaria's military scrambled MiG-29 fighter jets in response to the alerts, according to local authorities.
Two Finnair services departing Helsinki received threats.
Flight AY1761 to Rome continued to Fiumicino Airport, where it landed on schedule at 9:27 a.m. after being escorted by Italian military aircraft. Authorities searched the plane after passengers disembarked and found nothing suspicious.
A second threat affected Finnair flight AY1471 to Vienna, operated by Jettime. That aircraft also landed normally and was subsequently cleared. Finnair confirmed that both threats were unfounded. Yle.fi
A Wizz Air flight travelling from Milan Malpensa to Warsaw was diverted to Vienna, where a search found no suspicious objects. Another Wizz Air service from Milan to Bucharest received a threat before landing at Henri Coandă International Airport, where passengers were evacuated and the aircraft inspected. AA News Agency
LOT Polish Airlines flight LO235 from Warsaw to Brussels was subjected to security measures after authorities received a suspicious report concerning the aircraft. It landed safely and no suspicious items were found.
Czech police separately responded to threats involving four flights arriving in Prague. Security procedures were activated for each aircraft, but searches found no explosives. Police reportedly assessed the credibility of the threats as low while continuing to follow standard security protocols. AP News
Flights from Thessaloniki and Porto to Milan were also reported among Thursday's affected services.
Thursday's incidents came two days after at least seven European passenger flights were targeted by similar bomb threats.
The November 3 alerts affected LOT, SAS, Ryanair and Wizz Air services, including flights from London Heathrow to Warsaw and Manchester to Murcia. Aircraft were diverted or searched, but authorities ultimately found no explosive devices. A cruise ship was also searched following a threat during the same period. The Guardian
A separate Wizz Air flight from London Luton to Sofia had been diverted to Budapest on Monday after another bomb threat, with Hungarian Gripen fighters dispatched to escort the aircraft. AGN
The British government described Tuesday's incidents as “malicious hoax threats.” No claim of responsibility has been reported, and officials have not publicly attributed the latest series of alerts to any state, organisation or individual. KVIA
The repeated threats have nevertheless forced aviation authorities to treat each alert as a potential security incident, producing significant disruption even when subsequent searches determine that no device is present.