Bomb Threats Disrupt at Least 15 European Flights as Expert Questions Scale of Hoaxes

At least 15 commercial flights across Europe faced bomb threats on Thursday, November 5, forcing diversions and emergency security checks in several countries. Authorities reported no explosives discovered, and the incidents appeared to be hoaxes. The disruption followed threats against at least seven other flights earlier in the week, raising questions about whether the incidents were coordinated.

An Aer Lingus service from Dublin to Rome was diverted to a military air base in France, where all 151 passengers and six crew members left the aircraft safely, according to French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's office. Military bomb disposal specialists examined the plane. Flight tracking websites showed the aircraft changing course sharply and circling several times before heading toward Evreux.

In Italy, a fighter jet escorted a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome before bomb disposal experts checked it, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. Flights at Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci Airport were suspended for 30 minutes. Another flight from Helsinki, operated for Finnair by Jettime, landed normally in Vienna, according to Reuters. Two aircraft arriving at Milan Malpensa, an Aegean Airlines service from Thessaloniki and a Ryanair service from Porto, also landed safely following bomb alerts.

A Wizz Air flight traveling from Milan Malpensa to Warsaw was redirected to Vienna, while another Wizz Air service bound for Bucharest landed safely after receiving a threat. A LOT Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw reached Brussels safely following security warnings. The airline said authorities searched the aircraft after landing and found no dangerous or suspicious objects.

Three Ryanair services bound for Sofia made emergency landings in Bulgaria, according to Bulgarian National Television. Flights from Madrid and Copenhagen landed in the capital, while a service from London Stansted diverted to Plovdiv. Reuters reported that the Bulgarian transport ministry found no explosives or suspicious items. Czech police also said four threatened flights arrived in Prague and were checked without any explosives or suspicious devices being discovered.

British authorities had dismissed threats against about seven flights earlier in the week as hoaxes. Some messages were sent to airlines by email, although the methods used in every incident have not been confirmed. The British government said on Tuesday that established aviation security procedures covered both potential dangers and malicious false alarms.

Air transport security expert Paul Mason told the BBC that the frequency of this week's threats was unusual. He said their apparently credible presentation across multiple airlines suggested a "very deliberate act" rather than unrelated malicious calls. Mason also described the procedures followed by crews and airport staff to assess whether a threat is credible.

No individual or organization has claimed responsibility, and authorities have not confirmed links between the threats or identified anyone behind a coordinated campaign. The incidents occurred amid wider European concerns about sabotage and other security threats involving state actors, particularly Russia and Iran. Those broader concerns have not established responsibility for this week's flight alerts.