European flights diverted after bomb threats trigger emergency landings

A wave of bomb threats disrupted air travel across Europe on Thursday, prompting emergency landings and security inspections at multiple airports. Aer Lingus flight EI402 from Dublin to Rome altered its route near Paris and landed at a French Air Force base, where all 151 passengers and six crew were evacuated while a bomb squad examined the aircraft. > "All 151 passengers and six crew were evacuated from the plane while the bomb squad inspected the aircraft," a statement from French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office said.

Finnair flights AY1761 from Helsinki to Rome and AY1471 from Helsinki to Vienna also received threats; both were inspected by bomb squads and cleared of explosives. A spokesperson for Rome’s airport authority said an Italian Air Force escort guided the Helsinki-Rome flight to Fiumicino, where no devices were found.

Polish carrier LOT reported that flights LO235 to Brussels and LO331 to Paris were subject to mid-air checks and additional screening after threats, but authorities found no suspicious items. Ryanair flights to Sofia faced similar alerts, with one from London diverted to Plovdiv and others landing without incident. Wizz Air’s Milan-Bucharest flight was notified of a threat on approach and cleared after a bomb squad search.

Czech police said four unidentified flights bound for Prague had received threats concerning improvised explosive devices, leading to heightened security measures at Prague, Copenhagen and Warsaw airports, including the use of sniffer dogs.

The incidents follow earlier threats that caused a Polish airport to close temporarily and a security operation on the Greek island of Syros after a claim of an explosive device on an Israel-bound cruise ship. Authorities have not identified the source of the threats and no group has claimed responsibility.