Rome (TDI): A fresh wave of bomb threats targeted at least 25 passenger flights across Europe on Thursday, forcing several aircraft to make unplanned landings, undergo security inspections or receive fighter jet escorts.
The threats, reported from Ireland to Bulgaria, marked the second major wave of such incidents this week. Although authorities have not attributed responsibility, the disruptions have raised concerns amid growing European warnings about possible sabotage and hybrid attacks targeting critical infrastructure.
Several European governments have previously accused Russia of involvement in sabotage operations, including cyberattacks and other disruptive activities. However, no country has publicly linked Moscow to Thursday’s aviation threats. Russia and Iran have denied allegations of involvement in previous incidents.
Denmark, Poland and Romania, which experienced disruptions on Thursday, have previously accused Moscow of hostile activities. Germany also blamed Russia for an August attack on Leipzig airport, while Britain has previously attributed certain suspected plots to Russia and Iran.
Eric Schouten, head of aviation security group Dyami, said the incidents should be considered within the broader context of hybrid warfare, in which critical services are targeted across multiple sectors.
Read More: Ballots & Bombs
He noted that many of the countries affected by Thursday’s threats support Ukraine in its war against Russia’s invasion. Schouten said potential hybrid attacks could target transport networks, supermarkets, blood banks, energy infrastructure, internet services and aviation.
Bulgaria’s air force said fighter jets escorted three airliners to the ground following the threats. Two Ryanair flights, travelling from Copenhagen and Madrid to Sofia, landed as scheduled, while a flight from London to Sofia was diverted to Plovdiv, the country’s second-largest city.
In Spain, authorities received three emailed bomb threats within less than 20 minutes from around 9am local time. The threats involved two Air Europa flights departing Madrid for Paris and four inbound Iberia flights from Rome and Milan, according to the Guardia Civil.
Several aircraft were stopped or returned to their stands, while passengers were disembarked as security personnel inspected the planes.
In the Czech Republic, two EasyJet flights from Britain, along with flights arriving from Ireland and Greece, landed safely in Prague after receiving threats. Police assessed the credibility of the warnings as low.
Italy’s air force escorted a Finnair aircraft travelling from Helsinki to its scheduled landing in Rome, according to a source familiar with the matter. Rome’s airport operator reported no disruption to normal operations.
Another Finnair flight from Helsinki, operated by Jettime, landed safely in Vienna after receiving a bomb threat, the airline said. Italian news agency ANSA also reported that two aircraft landed safely in Milan following similar warnings.
Read More: US Weighs ‘Mother of All Bombs’ in Potential Future Strikes on Iran
Polish airline LOT said a flight from Warsaw landed as scheduled in Brussels after a security warning. In Warsaw, another LOT aircraft bound for Paris was stopped while taxiing towards the runway, and passengers were transferred to another plane as a precaution.
Romania’s intelligence agency confirmed that a Wizz Air flight from Milan landed safely in Bucharest. Italian media separately reported that another Wizz Air flight travelling from Milan to Warsaw had been diverted to Vienna.
Aer Lingus said flight EI402 from Dublin to Rome landed safely at Evreux airport, approximately 100 kilometres west of Paris. In Denmark, police said a military bomb disposal unit searched two aircraft at Copenhagen airport but found no explosive devices.
