Europe Gripped by Second Wave of Bomb Threats Disrupting Flights

European air travel faced significant disruption for the second time this week due to a series of bomb threats, affecting approximately 10 flights on Thursday, with some being diverted. This follows a similar incident on Tuesday, where at least seven flights and a cruise ship received threats, causing airport disruptions across Europe, though no explosive devices were found.

While no country has officially assigned blame for these threats, they emerge amid ongoing accusations from European officials who point to Russia and Iran for alleged "hybrid attacks" and sabotage campaigns, claims both Moscow and Tehran deny. This week also saw unidentified hackers disrupt supermarket refrigeration systems in several European nations. Some security experts suggest that these hoax bomb threats could be part of a coordinated strategy of low-cost, deniable disruption efforts.

On Thursday, Bulgarian authorities reported three aircraft making emergency landings due to bomb threats. According to broadcaster bTV, two planes flying from Copenhagen and Madrid landed in Sofia. Local media indicated that a third aircraft, originating from London, landed in Plovdiv. Czech police reported on X that four planes heading to Prague received bomb threats, and authorities were preparing for their landings, assessing the threats' credibility as low. "Nevertheless, we are not underestimating the threat, which is why all necessary security measures have been activated with minimal impact on passengers and airport operations," police stated. "After landing, all aircraft will undergo pyrotechnic inspections."

Aer Lingus flight EI402, en route from Dublin to Rome, landed safely at Evreux airport, located 100 km west of Paris, after being diverted as a precautionary security measure, the Irish airline confirmed in a statement. Belgian media reported that an airliner forced to land at Brussels' Zaventem airport was operated by the Polish airline LOT. A Finnair flight from Helsinki, operated by Jettime, landed normally in Vienna after receiving a bomb threat, according to a spokesperson for the Finnish carrier. Earlier, Finnair had reported another flight to Rome had also landed following a bomb threat.

Polish airline LOT stated that a flight from Warsaw to Brussels landed safely at its destination after a security warning, with no threat confirmed. A LOT spokesperson explained, "Following receipt of information regarding a potential security threat to flight LO235 from Warsaw to Brussels, the flight crew was notified of the situation and conducted an onboard inspection in accordance with established procedures. No suspicious items were found." The aircraft landed at Brussels Airport, where security services conducted a further inspection, finding no dangerous or suspicious items.