12 Flights Diverted Across Europe as Bomb Threats Hit Major Airports

European aviation authorities reported that at least a dozen flights faced bomb threats on Thursday, forcing pilots to divert to alternative airports or land under military escort. The incidents spanned major hubs including Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, Madrid, Milan, and Warsaw. Officials confirmed that most aircraft made emergency landings at secondary locations, while others arrived safely at their original destinations. Early inspections have not revealed hazardous or suspicious materials on any of the planes involved.

A flight originating in Dublin and heading to Rome was diverted to a military air base in Evreux, western France. The French prime minister’s office stated that the plane landed safely at the Normandy base. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office confirmed that all 151 passengers and six crew members were safe. Military bomb disposal teams began examining the aircraft immediately upon arrival. The office said it was monitoring the situation in real time but provided no further details at the time of release.

In Italy, a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome arrived at Leonardo da Vinci airport around 9:30 a.m. under the escort of Italian air force fighter jets. An airport official with knowledge of the situation described the arrival as a standard security procedure. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said police bomb disposal experts completed their clearance checks. No explosives were found during the inspection.

Czech police cleared four additional planes that landed in Prague after receiving targeted bomb threats. Authorities did not specify the cities of origin for these flights. In Poland, a LOT Airlines flight from Warsaw to Brussels landed without issue, and inspections found no hazardous items. Separately, a threat was reported at Warsaw’s Chopin Airport regarding a flight bound for Paris. One runway was temporarily closed for standard security procedures, but no threat was ultimately identified, according to airport spokesman Piotr Rudzki.

Bulgarian airports managed three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia that faced threats. Two flights, one from Copenhagen and one from Madrid, landed safely at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport. A third flight from London’s Stansted Airport was diverted to Plovdiv, the country’s second-largest city. Plovdiv Airport CEO Krassimir Peshev confirmed the plane landed safely. A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest also landed safely in Bucharest after receiving a threat, according to airport spokesman Teo Postelnicu.

A flight to Warsaw landed in Vienna after Polish authorities received an abstract threat via mail. Stefan Loidl, a police spokesperson in Lower Austria province, said the plane continued to Warsaw after nothing was found. Loidl also noted an abstract threat to Vienna Airport concerning four other unidentified flights, but operations were not disrupted. The latest incidents follow a string of hoax bomb threats earlier this week that prompted similar searches and diversions. Those earlier threats included flights from Scandinavian Airlines and Wizz Air, as well as a diversion to Hungary for a plane headed to Bulgaria.

Authorities have warned that hybrid threats are common, citing recent geopolitical tensions and disruptions such as attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems and drone incursions. The pattern of threats has led to increased scrutiny across the continent. Airlines and airports are implementing standard security protocols, including temporary runway closures and military escorts, to manage the situation. No injuries have been reported in the Thursday incidents, and inspections continue at various sites across Europe.