Hoax bomb threats disrupt dozens of European flights, prompting military escorts

Hoax bomb threats disrupted at least 27 passenger flights across Europe on Thursday, leading to unplanned landings and the deployment of fighter jets to escort or intercept aircraft, according to Reuters. The incidents represent the second wave of threats this week, following similar hoaxes that also targeted seven flights and a cruise ship on Tuesday.

No government has claimed responsibility for the threats, which come amid accusations by several European officials that Russia is behind recent sabotage and hybrid attacks. Denmark, Poland and Romania have previously blamed Moscow for hybrid activities, while Germany linked Russia to an August attack on Leipzig airport and Britain has associated Iran with a suspected plot against a U.S. air base. Both Russia and Iran deny involvement.

Eric Schouten, head of aviation security group Dyami, said most affected countries support Ukraine in its war against Russia. Analysts at aviation-risk advisory firm Osprey Flight Solutions noted that a connection to Russia’s hybrid campaign is a "realistic probability," but also warned that personal grievances or copycat actions could be factors.

An Italian airport source reported that an email titled "Threat report" was sent to multiple airline and airport contacts at Rome’s Fiumicino and Milan’s Malpensa airports, claiming devices had been placed on inbound flights from Helsinki and Dublin and would explode within 60 minutes. Reuters could not verify the sender of the email or identify the perpetrators of other threats.

In France, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s office said fighter jets intercepted an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome and escorted it to an air-force base at Évreux after the pilot failed to cooperate with authorities. Bulgaria’s air force escorted three airliners to the ground, including a Ryanair flight from London to Sofia that was diverted to Plovdiv.

Spanish police reported three emailed threats involving two Air Europa departures from Madrid to Paris and four inbound Iberia flights from Rome and Milan, causing several aircraft to be halted or returned to their stands for inspection. In Warsaw, a LOT flight to Paris was stopped on the taxiway and passengers were transferred to another plane, while Danish police searched two planes at Copenhagen airport.

Other carriers, including EasyJet, Finnair, LOT, Wizz Air, Ryanair and Air Serbia, continued to land as scheduled, some after receiving military escorts. A passenger on a Wizz Air flight described being taken to a remote runway area surrounded by emergency services before being told only that an "emergency issue" had occurred.

Joji Waites, director of flight safety for the British Airline Pilots’ Association, said airlines act on threats only when they are assessed as credible. Eliran Almog, CEO of aviation-cybersecurity firm Cyviation, noted that the hoaxes may aim to disrupt operations and test response procedures, adding that they coincide with cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration systems and French blood banks, which also threaten essential services.