Bomb threats target at least 12 more European flights

Brussels reported that at least 12 European flights encountered bomb threats on Thursday, following seven similar incidents the previous week with no explosives found. Irish carrier Aer Lingus diverted one of its Dublin to Rome flights to a French airport after a security alert. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed the plane landed safely in Évreux, with all 157 passengers taken to safety.

According to the BBC, two additional flights were diverted: a Wizz Air aircraft from Milan to Warsaw, which landed in Vienna, and a Ryanair flight from London to Sofia, which was redirected to Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Finnish airline Finnair disclosed that two of its aircraft—departing from Helsinki for Rome and Vienna—experienced "unfounded or hoax bomb threats," resulting in police checks and escort by Italian fighter jets for the Rome-bound plane.

LOT flight from Warsaw to Brussels Airport also faced a bomb threat, with police conducting searches and determining no further action necessary. Two other Ryanair flights to Sofia from Copenhagen and Madrid were similarly targeted. Czech police announced that four other flights destined for Prague Airport were threatened, but assessed the threats as low risk.

Air France–KLM CEO Ben Smith stated the threats appeared coordinated, emphasizing that the airline is confident in its security measures. Authorities in Spain, Poland, Italy, and Bulgaria conducted searches on Monday and Tuesday following the threats, closing Warsaw Chopin Airport temporarily as a precaution. Aviation safety expert Jan-Arwed Richter of JACDEC explained that the likelihood of successfully smuggling a bomb aboard a commercial flight is extremely low, citing the rectification of security loopholes and personnel shortcomings since the last significant incident in October 2015.