Bomb threats forced at least a dozen commercial flights across Europe to divert or land under high alert on Thursday, and authorities said they had found no dangerous materials so far. The Europe flight bomb threats affected several countries, according to reports.
According to DW, citing authorities, the unscheduled or high-alert landings took place in Austria, France, Italy, Belgium, Czechia, Spain and Bulgaria. One Aer Lingus Airbus A320 flying from Dublin to Rome was diverted to the Evreux airbase west of Paris after a bomb threat and landed safely, the French prime minister’s office said.
Police in Madrid said three flights at Madrid airport were affected by hoax threats. Security forces searched the area and ruled out any risk, DW reported.
Czech police said they were preparing Prague airport for four landings after threats of improvised explosive devices on board. They rated the threats as low relevance, DW reported.
SCMP (HK) reported that more than a dozen flights from cities including Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, Madrid, Milan and Warsaw were confirmed as targeted by bomb threats. Inspections had not found hazardous or suspicious materials, the outlet said.
The Guardian’s live tally stood at 18 reportedly affected flights as of 13:28 CET, including Ryanair, Wizz Air, LOT, Finnair and Aegean Airlines flights. That figure comes from a single outlet, and no second source has confirmed it. DW gives only "at least a dozen," and SCMP gives "more than a dozen."
The accounts also differ on one flight. The Guardian lists a Helsinki to Vienna flight as Finnair flight AY 1471. DW reports that a flight from Helsinki operated by Jettime landed in Vienna as scheduled, and that Finnair said two of its planes landed at scheduled destinations amid the security scares.
Earlier this week, bomb threats against several European flights prompted similar unscheduled landings, according to DW. Those threats turned out to be hoaxes, DW said.
SCMP linked the threats to heightened geopolitical tensions and other disruptions, including attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems and drone incursions in Europe. DW reported that the incidents coincided with apparent cyberattacks on supermarket freezer units and French blood banks, but it is not yet clear whether they are connected. EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said it is too early to draw conclusions.
National investigations remain ongoing, Tzitzikostas said. Police said planes would be swept for dangerous materials on landing.
The reporting has gaps. No official has confirmed that Thursday’s threats were hoaxes, DW said only that preliminary information showed no sign of dangerous materials. No airline statements beyond Finnair’s reported comments are included, and there is no response from Ryanair, Wizz Air, LOT or Aegean Airlines. It is also unclear whether the unidentified flights in Prague and Madrid were later identified or what their outcomes were.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.