A wave of bomb threats disrupted passenger flights across Europe on Thursday, forcing aircraft to divert, make precautionary landings or undergo security inspections. Authorities reported no explosives found in the searches completed so far.
An Aer Lingus flight travelling from Dublin to Rome was diverted to Évreux air base in northern France. All 151 passengers and six crew members were moved to safety while bomb disposal specialists examined the aircraft, according to French authorities.
In Bulgaria, officials reported three precautionary landings following bomb threats. Two aircraft arriving from Copenhagen and Madrid landed in Sofia, while a third flight from London landed in Plovdiv, according to local reporting cited by Reuters.
Security alerts also affected flights elsewhere. Finnair said two services from Helsinki, bound for Rome and Vienna, landed safely following threats. Passengers disembarked, and subsequent searches found nothing suspicious. Czech police meanwhile activated security measures for four threatened aircraft approaching Prague; inspections also found no suspicious materials.
Thursday’s disruption followed similar incidents on Tuesday, when at least seven flights and a cruise ship received bomb threats. Searches during those earlier alerts uncovered no explosive devices.
Authorities have not publicly identified those responsible or established whether the threats were coordinated. Investigations and security checks were continuing as airlines worked to resume affected services.
