Hoax Bomb Threats Disrupt 25 European Flights as Fighter Jets Escort Planes to Emergency Landings
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Nov 5
Hoax Bomb Threats Disrupt 25 European Flights as Fighter Jets Escort Planes to Emergency Landings
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Nov 5
Summary
More than two dozen flights across Europe were disrupted Thursday after bomb threats targeted airlines including Finnair, Ryanair, Aer Lingus, LOT and Aegean; all aircraft landed safely and no explosives were found.
Several planes were diverted or escorted by military jets, including a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome, an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin rerouted to a French air base, and three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia.
Officials described the alerts as malicious hoaxes rather than credible threats. One email sent to Rome airport in Italian claimed to come from “fighters of the male state” and threatened to “turn the skies red” with explosions.
Czech police said threats against four flights to Prague mentioned an improvised explosive device, but authorities have not identified the source of the campaign.
The scare comes as European aviation remains on edge over hybrid attacks and intimidation linked to spillover from Russia’s war against Ukraine.