EUROPE | At least 25 passenger flights across Europe were hit by a new wave of bomb threats on Thursday, November 5, forcing aircraft to divert, undergo security inspections or receive fighter-jet escorts, as authorities investigated what appeared to be a coordinated series of malicious hoax alerts.
The most prominent incident involved Aer Lingus Flight EI402, an Airbus A320 traveling from Dublin, Ireland, to Rome, Italy, which was diverted to Évreux-Fauville Air Base in Normandy, France, as a security precaution. The aircraft landed safely with 151 passengers and six crew members on board. French authorities moved those aboard to a secure location while bomb-disposal personnel examined the aircraft, according to the French prime minister’s office and the airline.
The threats affected several major European carriers, including Aer Lingus, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Finnair, LOT Polish Airlines, EasyJet and Iberia. Flights serving destinations such as Rome, Paris, Prague, Sofia, Brussels, Milan, Vienna and Bucharest were among those affected, Reuters reported.
Bulgaria’s air force deployed fighter jets to escort three aircraft targeted by threats. Two Ryanair flights from Copenhagen and Madrid landed in Sofia, while another flight from London was diverted to Plovdiv. In Spain, the Guardia Civil reported receiving three bomb-threat emails within less than 20 minutes, prompting security inspections of affected aircraft.
In the Czech Republic, four Prague-bound aircraft received threats. Police activated security procedures and subsequently reported that searches found nothing suspicious. Finnair also confirmed that two flights from Helsinki to Rome and Vienna had received unfounded threats, with both aircraft landing safely. At Copenhagen Airport, police searched two aircraft but found no explosive devices.
British Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the incidents as malicious hoax threats, saying authorities had established procedures for dealing with such security alerts. The Associated Press reported that more than a dozen flights had been targeted, while Reuters placed the overall number of affected passenger flights at at least 25, reflecting differences in the scope and timing of the reports.
The latest incidents followed another series of bomb threats on Tuesday, November 3, when at least seven flights and a cruise ship received alerts, prompting aircraft inspections, diversions and temporary disruption at airports, including in Warsaw. No explosive devices were discovered in those incidents.
The repeated threats have raised concerns about possible hybrid attacks, a form of disruption that can combine cyberattacks, sabotage, disinformation and other tactics intended to undermine public confidence and disrupt essential services. Reuters reported that the aviation incidents coincided with cyberattacks affecting supermarket refrigeration systems and French blood banks.
European governments have previously accused Russia of involvement in various sabotage and hybrid operations, while some have also raised concerns about Iran. However, no government has identified the perpetrators behind the latest aviation threats, and there is no confirmed evidence establishing a connection between the incidents and any foreign state. Moscow and Tehran have denied involvement in broader allegations of such campaigns.
Although the threats have so far produced no confirmed discovery of explosives in the reported aircraft inspections, the repeated disruptions have required extensive security responses involving airlines, airport authorities, police, bomb-disposal teams and military aircraft.
Authorities continue to treat bomb alerts seriously, even when their credibility is assessed as low, because passenger safety remains the priority. The latest incidents underscore the vulnerability of international air travel to security threats that can disrupt operations even when no actual explosive device is found.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
