At Least 18 Planes Targeted by Bomb Threats Across Europe

Multiple flights were forced to make emergency landings after being targeted by bomb threats in Europe on Thursday, just days after a spate of similar incidents caused chaos.

At least 18 flights from cities including Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, Madrid, Glasgow, Milan and Warsaw were impacted, with some of the planes diverted to military bases or given escorts by fighter jets.

No suspicious materials have been found so far and no one has claimed responsibility for all the hoaxes. EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said it was “too early” to say whether the threats were linked, but said the EU was “closely monitoring” the situation.

Airport authorities in Rome told the BBC they had received an email from a group called “Fighters of the Male State,” who wanted to “make their mark on history” and target the “feminist regime” by turning the skies red” with explosions,” according to statements sent to Aeroporti Di Roma and verified by the BBC.

The threats follow a series of disruptive actions and cyberattacks across Europe in recent weeks, which have seen supermarket refrigeration systems targeted by hackers and emergency alert apps used to falsely warn of airstrikes in both Russia and Ukraine

Which Flights Were Affected?

An Aer Lingus plane, with more than 150 people on board, was forced to divert to a military base in France, while planes heading for the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Poland, among others, were also impacted.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s office said military bomb disposal teams were examining the Aer Lingus plane but that all 151 passengers and six crew were safe.

“Flight EI402 from Dublin to Rome diverted to Normandy this morning as a security precaution,” an Aer Lingus spokesperson told NBC News.

Reports say threats have also targeted easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Scandinavian Airlines, Finnair and LOT Polish Air Lines flights.

LOT Polish Airlines told Newsweek that two flights departing from Warsaw experienced bomb threats, LO331 to Paris and LO235 to Brussels.

“Appropriate security measures were immediately implemented in accordance with established procedures,” the airline said.

“In the case of flight LO331 to Paris, the aircraft was stopped while taxiing and directed to a designated parking stand. The aircraft and all baggage underwent a security screening conducted by the relevant authorities. No hazardous items were found.”

The airline said the crew on flight LO235 to Brussels was informed of the situation and conducted an onboard security check in accordance with procedures.

“No suspicious items were identified during the check,” the airline said. “The aircraft landed at Brussels Airport, where the relevant authorities carried out an additional security inspection. This inspection also confirmed that no hazardous or suspicious items were found.”

A spokesperson for Finnair confirmed to Newsweek in a statement that more than 300 passengers were affected by today’s bomb threats, and that all passengers and crew have been evacuated safely.

“We can confirm that two Finnair flights, AY1761 from Helsinki to Rome and AY1471 from Helsinki to Vienna (operated by Jettime), have faced unfounded or hoax bomb threats today, 5 November,” the statement read.

“Both flights landed safely at their destinations, and customers have disembarked the aircraft.”

Wizz Air flight W4 6387 from Milan to Warsaw was forced to divert to Austria after receiving a bomb threat in mid-air, an airline spokesperson told the Daily Mirror.

“Wizz Air confirms that today’s Milan Malpensa–Warsaw flight (W4 6387) has been diverted to Vienna following a bomb threat received during the flight.

“The diversion was initiated in accordance with established security protocols and procedures, with the safety of passengers and crew as the highest priority.”

Two hundred Wizz Air passengers were forced to evacuate from a flight travelling from Milan to Bucharest after a similar threat.

“Passengers have been disembarked. The airport has taken the procedural measures required in such cases, in cooperation with state institutions,” Bucharest National Airports Company told the BBC. “A crisis management unit is being established, and specific procedures for these situations are being implemented.”

A specialist explosives team from Romania’s Intelligence Services is inspecting the aircraft.

A Wizz Air spokesperson told Newsweek: “Wizz Air is aware of a series of bomb threats affecting multiple airlines across Europe in recent days. This is an industry-wide matter, and we are working closely with the relevant authorities, providing our full cooperation and support to their investigations.

“We take every security-related report seriously and follow established safety and security procedures. Our operations continue as scheduled, with no changes to our flight programme as a result of these threats. The safety and security of our passengers and crew remain our absolute priority.”

An Air Serbia flight to Bucharest also received a bomb threat before landing safely, Reuters reports.

Four flights heading to Prague also received bomb threats, Czech police announced.

In a statement on X, the Czech police said they believed the risk level was “low” but added “we do not underestimate the threat, which is why all necessary security measures have been activated.”

Police subsequently confirmed that no explosives were found on the four aircraft after they landed in Prague.

An additional two bomb scares later affected flights bound for Milan’s Malpensa airport, which were not diverted and landed safely at the airport, Italian news agency ANSA reported. The two flights were Aegean Airlines flight A3552, which departed from Thessaloniki in Greece, and Ryainir flight FR8953 which departed from Porto in Portugal.

Bomb squad units at the airport conducted checks on the affected aircraft. No explosives were found.

Spanish airline Iberia has confirmed that two of its planes were among the three to receive bomb threats at Madrid airport this morning.

“Iberia confirms that two of its aircraft were the subject of bomb threats this morning, which turned out to be false alarms,” an airline spokesperson told The Guardian. “The alerts were sent to Madrid-Barajas Airport and communicated to the captains of both flights, who proceeded to land in Madrid without any issues at around 10:00 a.m. today. Passengers disembarked without incident, in accordance with established security protocols.”

The two affected flights were IBE668 from Milan, and IBE658 flying in from Rome.

Fighter Escort

On Tuesday, seven flights received hoax bomb threats that prompted searches, diversions and, in one case, an escort by Italian air force Eurofighter jets until landing,

Emergency alert apps used to warn of airstrikes in both Russia and Ukraine also gave false alerts this week, with neither side sure of who perpetrated the hacks.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Tony Phillips.