New wave of bomb threats affects at least 15 flights across Europe

A new wave of bomb threats has disrupted air traffic across Europe for the second time this week, forcing several commercial aircraft to divert or undergo emergency security inspections. At least 15 flights were affected on Thursday, November 5th, involving multiple airlines and destinations.

Among the incidents, an Aer Lingus Airbus A320 operating flight EI402 from Dublin to Rome was diverted to Évreux-Fauville military airbase in France. Three Ryanair flights heading to Sofia, Bulgaria, from Madrid, Copenhagen and London Stansted were also affected. The London flight was diverted to Plovdiv.

Other affected services included a Wizz Air flight from Milan to Warsaw, which diverted to Vienna, and two Finnair flights from Helsinki to Rome and Vienna. Four aircraft heading to Prague also received reported threats and underwent security inspections.

The incidents also reached Belgium. LOT Polish Airlines flight LO235 from Warsaw to Brussels received a bomb threat. The aircraft continued to Brussels Airport, where police carried out additional inspections. No suspicious objects were found.

The latest incidents follow another series of bomb threats on Tuesday, 3 November, when seven aircraft across Europe were reportedly affected, including Ryanair services and two flights heading to Warsaw.

Authorities have so far found no explosives or confirmed dangerous devices on the aircraft involved. The threats are being treated as suspected hoaxes, although investigations remain ongoing. Czech police have involved their National Centre Against Terrorism, Extremism and Cybercrime.

The origin of the threats remains unclear, and investigators have not established whether the incidents are connected or part of a coordinated campaign.

Image disclaimer: The featured image is AI-generated for illustrative purposes only. It does not depict a real aircraft, an actual bomb threat or a specific incident.