Fourteen flights targeted in European hoax wave
Eurocontrol confirmed bomb threats against 14 aircraft on Thursday, part of a week-long series of disruptions across the continent.
By Madison Lewis ·
Fourteen flights faced bomb threats on Thursday, according to Eurocontrol, the European air traffic authority. The figure represents just 0.05% of the nearly 26,300 flights operating across the European network that day. Seven additional flights received similar alerts on Tuesday. No suspicious items were found on any of the planes, and no passengers or crew members were injured.
The alerts prompted military responses in several countries. In Hungary, Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi stated that fighter jets escorted three passenger aircraft across national airspace on Friday. The planes originated from Brussels, Prague, and were bound for Sofia, Cyprus, and Romania. The military intervention occurred within an hour of each threat being received.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office reported four new bomb threats against aircraft flying over French territory on Friday. The affected planes landed safely at Paris' Orly Airport, where bomb disposal experts conducted inspections. The office did not identify the specific flights or airlines involved in the French incidents.
Other carriers reported diversions and evacuations. A WizzAir flight from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice after a bomb alert, and passengers were evacuated upon landing. Threats also targeted a Prague to Bucharest flight operated by Romanian carrier Tarom, as well as a Ryanair flight traveling from Lisbon to Rome. At Prague's Vaclav Havel Airport, spokesperson Denisa Hejtmánková said nine flights were threatened. Czech police noted that security measures had a minimal impact on normal operations.
In Copenhagen, police visited the airport for a second consecutive day as a precautionary measure following threats directed at air traffic. Authorities assessed that there was no danger to passengers or others present at the facility. Eurocontrol stated it is working closely with airlines and navigation service providers to mitigate disruption to air traffic flows.
Broadcasters also received security threats during the same period. In Ireland, the Dublin headquarters of national broadcaster RTE was evacuated on Friday after a bomb threat. Live broadcasts were replaced with pre-recorded programs until police and sniffer dogs declared the area safe. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin described the incidents as a demonstration of how simple it can be to cause disruption and undermine normal societal operations. He confirmed a large security operation would be in place next week for European Union leader meetings in Dublin. U.K.-based broadcaster Sky also reported receiving a security threat but remained on air.
Authorities have not attributed the wave of threats to any specific group or state actor. An email sent to Rome airport authorities on Thursday purported to come from an anti-feminist group targeting a feminist regime. Paul Reuter, vice president of the European Cockpit Association, called the use of civil aviation for geopolitical disruption totally unacceptable. Pilots reviewed procedures with cabin crews and identified diversion airports in response to the alerts.
