A string of coordinated bomb threats disrupted commercial aviation across multiple European countries, forcing emergency protocols, flight diversions, and temporary airport closures.
Authorities later confirmed that the alerts were malicious hoaxes, with no explosive devices discovered following comprehensive security sweeps.
The wave of alerts impacted flights spanning several nations, including Italy, Poland, Spain, and Bulgaria, leaving aviation security experts and officials examining potential patterns of low-cost, deniable disruption.
Fighter Jets and Diversions:
In Italy, the Italian Air Force scrambled military Eurofighter jets to intercept and escort incoming Ryanair flights safely into Rome’s Fiumicino Airport.
In Poland, a LOT flight traveling from London Heathrow to Warsaw’s Chopin Airport was diverted to Modlin Airport, triggering a temporary closure while the aircraft was searched.
As reported, no explosive device was found, and the facility subsequently reopened.
Coordinated Sweeps Across Borders:
Similar emergency protocols were enacted in Spain, where a Manchester-to-Murcia flight underwent rigorous Civil Guard inspections, and in Bulgaria, where authorities inspected two separate aircraft arriving in Sofia following mid-flight threat alerts.
Additional targets included flights operated by carriers such as LOT, SAS, and Wizz Air.
Another Warsaw-bound flight, an SAS service from Copenhagen, landed at Chopin Airport as scheduled. Airport authorities confirmed that no device was found and operations continued normally.
Bomb threats were made against planes traveling from Milan/Bergamo and Dublin to Sofia, Bulgaria’s transport ministry said in a statement to Reuters. Both landed safely, and inspections found no explosive devices.
The Bergamo flight was operated by Wizz Air and was carrying 176 passengers, while the Dublin flight, operated by Ryanair, had 186 passengers on board.
Bulgarian news agency BTA had earlier quoted an Interior Ministry official as saying that a flight from Israel had been affected, but authorities later clarified that this was not the case.
A day earlier, a Wizz Air flight from London to Sofia was diverted to Budapest Airport after receiving a bomb threat, Hungarian Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said in a Facebook post.
Threats on Europe Flights:
Officials confirmed that the reports proved to be hoaxes, and affected airports resumed normal operations after security teams found no explosives on board. Ryanair declined to immediately comment.
Two other Ryanair flights, one from Lisbon and another from Dublin, were searched at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport following bomb threats, according to a source from airport operator ADR. The Dublin flight was escorted by the Italian Air Force until it landed.
The alerts were subsequently cleared, and the airport continued operating as usual without affecting other flights, the source said.
Separately, an explosives detection dog and a diver searched the Panama-flagged Crown Iris cruise ship on the Greek island of Syros after an unknown person claimed that an explosive device had been attached to the vessel’s hull, authorities said.
Initial checks found no explosive device with coast guard specialists expected to carry out further inspections before the ship could resume its voyage.
Claim of Responsibility and Aviation Risk Assessment:
Security analysts noted that the cluster of simultaneous threats fits a wider narrative of hybrid disruptions targeting European infrastructure.
There was no claim of responsibility, and officials did not attribute blame.
According to Reuters, Rhys Jones, Analysis Output Manager at aviation risk advisory firm Osprey Flight Solutions, said that seven confirmed bomb threats in a single day impacting flights was exceptional.
“The lack of clear target state, airline, or route indicates that general disruption to aviation operations is the aim,” added Jones.
Affected airlines said that they fully cooperated with authorities and safety remained their highest priority.
