Bomb threats hit European airlines once again, just 48 hours after a first wave of hoaxes
Since Tuesday as many as 20 flights in Europe have faced bomb hoaxes. "Threats are almost always unfounded," one airline told Business Insider.
On Thursday, a series of bomb threats targeted twelve European flights, just 48 hours after a previous wave of hoaxes. The threats began with a statement from France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu about Aer Lingus Flight 402, which diverted to a French military base after receiving a threat during its Rome to Dublin flight. Aer Lingus confirmed the diversion was a security precaution and the flight landed safely with no injuries or explosives discovered.
Later that day, Czech police reported threats against four aircraft heading to Prague, though they deemed the threats low relevance and activated security protocols. Additionally, a Wizz Air flight from Milan to Warsaw diverted to Vienna due to a bomb threat. This latest wave of threats follows a series in recent days affecting several airlines across Europe.
Ryanair flights from Copenhagen, Madrid, and London were diverted to Sofia, Plovdiv, and Plovdiv respectively after receiving bomb threats. LOT Polish Airlines Flight 235 from Warsaw to Brussels also received a threat, but the crew conducted an onboard security check and found no suspicious items. Finnair flights from Helsinki to Rome and Vienna were also targeted.
Authorities in Europe have called these threats malicious hoaxes, but the European Commission is closely monitoring the situation to determine if the incidents are linked.
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