14 Flights Threatened in Europe as Bomb Hoaxes Continue

Fourteen flights across the European network received bomb threats on Thursday, according to Eurocontrol. That figure represents 0.05 percent of the nearly 26,300 flights that operated in the region that day. The air traffic authority confirmed seven more threats on Tuesday. The new reports arrived on Friday as officials across the continent scrambled to secure airports and monitor airspace.

The wave of hoaxes began earlier in the week when more than two dozen flights were affected by similar alerts. Some aircraft were diverted to nearby airports while security teams checked the cabins for explosives. No suspicious items were found in any of the incidents, and no passengers or crew members were injured. The disruptions have coincided with other recent events, including attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems and drone incursions, which have heightened concerns about hybrid threats in the region.

Friday brought new incidents in several countries. In Hungary, defense minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said military fighter jets escorted three passenger planes through the country's airspace within an hour. The flights were routing from Brussels to Sofia, and from Prague to destinations in Cyprus and Romania. Each aircraft received a bomb threat before the jets took formation.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's office announced that four new threats were made against aircraft flying over French territory. The planes landed safely at Paris' Orly Airport, where bomb disposal experts conducted inspections. The office did not specify which flights were targeted. In the Czech Republic, spokesperson Denisa Hejtmánková for Prague's Vaclav Havel Airport stated that nine flights were threatened. Those included arriving services from Denmark, Spain, and Britain, and departing services to the Netherlands, Cyprus, Romania, Italy, and Britain. Czech police reported that security measures had a minimal impact on normal operations.

Other affected flights included a Prague to Bucharest service operated by Romanian carrier Tarom and a Ryanair flight from Lisbon to Rome. A WizzAir flight from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice after a bomb alert. Passengers were evacuated after the aircraft landed. Security inspections in all cases confirmed that no explosives were present.

In Copenhagen, police went to the airport for a second consecutive day as a precautionary measure. They assessed that there had been no danger to passengers or others at the facility. In Ireland, the Dublin headquarters of national broadcaster RTE was evacuated after a bomb threat. Live broadcasts were replaced with pre-recorded programs until police and sniffer dogs cleared the building. U.K.-based broadcaster Sky also reported receiving a security threat, though Sky News remained on air.

Authorities have not linked the threats to any specific group or state actor. An email sent to airport authorities in Rome on Thursday purported to come from an anti-feminist group targeting a feminist regime. A similar threat was received at another European airport, but it is unclear if it came from the same sender. Paul Reuter, vice president of the European Cockpit Association, said crews are prepared to respond professionally by reviewing procedures and carrying extra fuel. He described the use of civil aviation for geopolitical disruption as totally unacceptable.

Martin, the Irish prime minister, stated that the threats illustrate how relatively simple it is to cause disruption through unconventional activities designed to cause fear. A very significant security operation is planned for next week in Dublin, which will host meetings of the European Political Community and European Union leaders. Eurocontrol is monitoring the situation and working with airlines and navigation service providers to mitigate any disruption to air traffic flows.