European Air Travel: Bomb Threats Force Emergency Landings

Passengers on more than a dozen European flights faced emergency landings and military escorts on Thursday after receiving bomb threats. Authorities described the incidents as malicious hoaxes, noting that no hazardous or suspicious materials were found during the resulting inspections. The disruptions added to a week of similar threats and broader infrastructure issues affecting travel across the continent.

The threats arrived via email. An airport official in Rome shared a copy of one message with The Associated Press. The email claimed to be from an anti-feminist group. Another official in Europe said they received a threat with similar language from a group using the same description. It remains unclear if the same organization sent both messages. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the details publicly.

Experts suggest the goal is to test government responses and create uncertainty. Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Bruegel think tank in Brussels, said the threats are stress-testing how officials coordinate their actions. He noted the aim appears to be sowing chaos regarding the reliability of air traffic. This can lead to cascading effects, including economic damage and the costs of inspecting and cleaning aircraft.

The financial impact on airlines is substantial. Philip Baum, a visiting professor of aviation security at Coventry University in England, estimated that each disruption could cost airlines up to $250,000. He explained that crews may work overtime, require replacements, and passengers may miss connections. This throws the airline's schedule for the rest of the day into disarray. He added that the cost of military escorts falls on governments rather than the airlines.

British transport secretary Heidi Alexander told broadcasters that flights across Europe have been hit by malicious hoax threats. Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the European Union Transport Commissioner, told reporters in Dublin that it was too early to determine if the incidents are linked. He stated that national investigations are ongoing and that an EU information-sharing mechanism on aviation security has been activated.

In one notable incident, an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to a military air base in France. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s office said the plane landed safely at the base in Evreux, which was under high alert. Military bomb disposal teams examined the aircraft. Lecornu ordered warplanes to intercept the plane because the pilot did not cooperate as expected with authorities. Hours after landing, the plane sat on the tarmac while explosive experts with dogs inspected it. French regional prosecutor Remi Coutin said the pilot and co-pilot are being questioned.

Italian air force fighter jets escorted a Finnair flight bound for Rome after it received an email threat. Finnair confirmed that two of its flights faced unfounded hoax bomb scares. The escorted flight landed safely in Rome. A second Finnair flight, operated by Jettime from Helsinki to Vienna, also landed safely and is expected to return to service after an inspection. Three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia, Bulgaria, also received military escorts and made emergency landings. Two landed in Sofia, while a third from London diverted to Plovdiv.

Similar threats occurred earlier in the week, targeting flights operated by Polish airline LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air, and Ryanair. A plane headed for Bulgaria was diverted to Hungary after receiving a threat in the air. On Thursday, Czech police searched four planes in Prague and found nothing. A LOT flight from Warsaw to Brussels and a Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest both landed safely after threats, with inspections finding no explosives. A flight to Warsaw landed in Vienna after receiving an abstract threat, and an Air Serbia flight to Bucharest also underwent checks after a hoax alert.