New Delhi: Fresh bomb threats disrupted air travel across Europe on Thursday, with at least eight passenger flights targeted and several aircraft diverted for emergency landings. The alerts affected services operated by Aer Lingus, Ryanair, Finnair, LOT Polish Airlines and Wizz Air, prompting security inspections and military escorts amid growing concerns over repeated aviation threats.
An Aer Lingus Airbus A320 travelling from Dublin to Rome was diverted to Evreux military air base in Normandy, France, following a bomb warning. All 151 passengers and six crew members were safe, while military bomb-disposal teams examined the aircraft, Associated Press reported, citing French authorities.
The office of the French prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu, said it was monitoring the situation in real time. French military aircraft were deployed to escort the diverted airliner, which landed safely.
Three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia, Bulgaria, also received bomb threats, triggering emergency responses. Services from Copenhagen and Madrid landed safely at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport, while a flight from London’s Stansted Airport diverted to Plovdiv, Bulgarian airport officials confirmed.
Italian air force fighter jets escorted Finnair flight AY1761 from Helsinki to Rome following an anonymous bomb warning. The aircraft landed at Fiumicino Airport as scheduled, with subsequent checks finding nothing unusual, according to Finnish broadcaster Yle.
A LOT Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw to Brussels also received a threat but reached its destination safely. The airline said security inspections found no hazardous or suspicious materials.
A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest landed safely following another warning, while a separate Milan to Warsaw service diverted to Vienna, ANSA reported, citing the airline.
Meanwhile, Czech police deployed to Prague’s Vaclav Havel Airport after receiving bomb threats involving four incoming aircraft. Authorities activated emergency security measures but did not immediately disclose the outcome of the alerts.
Thursday’s disruption followed earlier bomb threats targeting flights across Europe, which RNA Media reported on Tuesday. Those incidents affected LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, Ryanair and Wizz Air services, triggering aircraft searches and temporarily suspending operations at Warsaw-Modlin Airport.
A Wizz Air flight from London to Sofia had also diverted to Budapest on Monday after receiving a bomb warning. Hungarian fighter aircraft escorted the plane, but subsequent searches found no explosives.
Although several services were diverted or delayed, widespread flight cancellations have not been independently confirmed. Authorities have reported no explosives in completed inspections, while investigators have yet to establish who issued the threats or whether the incidents were connected.