Series of Bomb Threats Disrupts Flights Across Europe, Prompting Emergency Landings

Flights diverted across Europe

Authorities said multiple flights made emergency landings Thursday after bomb threats led them to change course. At least eight flights from Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, Madrid, Milan and Warsaw were confirmed as targets; some diverted, while others reached their destinations safely.

Czech police said they prepared at Prague’s Vaclav Havel Airport for four planes after receiving a threat about explosive devices on board. Police said all necessary security measures had been activated. Inspections so far have found no hazardous or suspicious materials.

Passengers and crews safe

A Dublin-to-Rome flight diverted to a military air base in Evreux, Normandy, the French prime minister’s office said. It landed safely, and all 151 passengers and six crew members were safe as military bomb disposal teams examined the plane.

Finnair said Flight 1761, traveling from Helsinki to Rome, was targeted. Finnish broadcaster Yle reported that nothing out of the ordinary was found after the plane landed in the Italian capital.

Ryanair flights land safely

Three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia, Bulgaria, made emergency landings because of threats. Airport officials said flights from Copenhagen and Madrid landed safely at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport. The third flight, traveling from London’s Stansted Airport to Sofia, diverted to Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second-largest city, and landed safely, airport CEO Krassimir Peshev said.

Earlier threats raise concerns

Several flights across Europe faced hoax threats earlier in the week, prompting searches and diversions. In one case, the Italian air force escorted a plane until it landed; a day before Thursday’s incidents, a Bulgaria-bound flight diverted to Hungary after a similar threat. No one was injured.

The article describes such threats as not new, while noting heightened geopolitical tensions and other signs of disruption, including attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems, drone incursions in Europe and unexplained alerts on apps. Authorities have warned that hybrid threats are widespread.