Wave of bomb threats disrupts flights across Europe; at least 35 planes searched or diverted
Photo: HalfphotoA wave of bomb threats against passenger flights across Europe has forced diversions, emergency landings and security sweeps at airports from Dublin to Prague — and the threats were still arriving on Friday morning. No explosives have been found in any of the incidents so far, authorities said.
At least 35 planes have been searched or diverted this week, The Guardian reported Friday, as airlines and airports across Europe went on high alert. Thursday was the worst day yet: at least 18 commercial flights received bomb threats, forcing several aircraft to make emergency landings, divert to alternate airports or undergo security inspections.
An Aer Lingus Airbus A320 flying from Dublin to Rome was diverted to the Évreux military air base in Normandy on Thursday after a bomb alert, the French prime minister's office said. All 151 passengers and six crew members were safe, and French military bomb disposal teams examined the plane. A Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome was escorted by Italian air force units into Rome's Fiumicino Airport, where it landed as normal, Reuters reported.
Three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia, Bulgaria, had to make emergency landings because of bomb threats on board. Two of the flights, one from Copenhagen and the other from Madrid, landed safely at Sofia's airport, while a third, from London's Stansted Airport, was diverted to Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second-largest city. Czech police said they deployed at Prague's Vaclav Havel Airport to prepare for the landing of four planes after receiving threats of explosive devices on board.
In Spain, police said three emailed threats that came in within 20 minutes involved one Air Europa departure from Madrid to Paris and two inbound Iberia flights from Rome and Milan. A LOT Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw to Brussels landed safely at its destination after a bomb alert, and a Warsaw–Paris flight was stopped while taxiing and continued with a different aircraft. A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest landed safely after a threat, and an Air Serbia flight from Belgrade landed safely in Bucharest.
The threats continued into Friday. Danish police said they were investigating threats against air traffic at Copenhagen Airport, though their preliminary assessment found no immediate danger to passengers. Czech police said they were investigating bomb threats targeting nine flights at Prague airport, but no explosive devices had been found and operations continued normally. A bomb threat involving a Ryanair flight from Rome prompted a security operation at Lisbon airport; no explosive device was found, Portuguese police said. A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest was threatened, and a Wizz Air flight from Prague to Rome was forced to divert to Venice, where police carried out security checks.
The wave began earlier in the week. On Monday, a Wizz Air flight from London to Sofia diverted to Budapest after a threat, escorted by a Hungarian Gripen fighter jet. On Tuesday, four Ryanair flights were affected by bomb threats, prompting searches in Italy, Spain and Bulgaria, and a Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen to Warsaw landed at Warsaw-Chopin Airport and was checked. A LOT flight from London made an unscheduled landing at Warsaw-Modlin airport, temporarily suspending air operations there.
Authorities have not publicly attributed the threats. Some commentators have raised questions about whether Russia could be involved, but no evidence linking Moscow has been presented, and Russia has not commented on the incidents. Airlines across Europe remain on alert as investigators work to trace the source of the threats.
Sources: Reuters, "Factbox — Bomb threats cause flight disruptions across Europe" (Nov. 6, 2026); The Guardian, "Hoax bomb threats see at least 35 flights in Europe searched or diverted" (Nov. 6, 2026); Sky News, "Multiple European flights report bomb threats, days after string of similar alerts" (Nov. 6, 2026).
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