30 aircraft, 8 countries: How bomb threats disrupted flights across Europe

Dozens of airplanes and multiple airports in Europe were threatened with bombs on Thursday, causing disruptions affecting eight nations. The incidents involved flights in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, France, Italy, Poland, and Romania. Diversions, fighter jet escorts, and thorough security checks were implemented. The UK government labeled the warnings as malicious hoaxes, with no explosives discovered thus far.

Several airlines, including Aer Lingus, Finnair, Wizz Air, LOT, Ryanair, EasyJet, Aegean Airlines, Iberia, and Air Serbia, experienced affected flights. Some aircraft were rerouted to different airports, while others underwent security inspections post-landing. A few airports also activated emergency protocols following the warnings.

Notable incidents included an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome being diverted to Évreux-Fauville air base in France, a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome escorted by Italian Air Force fighter jets, and Wizz Air flights from Milan to Vienna and Bucharest. Romanian authorities evacuated nearly 200 passengers from the Bucharest-bound aircraft and dispatched an explosives disposal team to inspect it.

Polish airline LOT reported its Warsaw to Brussels and Warsaw to Paris flights landing as scheduled with no suspicious items found. Three Ryanair flights in Bulgaria, three EasyJet flights in the Czech Republic, and various Aegean Airlines flights were also impacted. Spain's airport authority received threats against three flights at Madrid airport, but inspections ruled out any danger.

Air Serbia's flight from Belgrade to Bucharest landed safely, with the threat assessed as unfounded. UK airports, such as London Heathrow and Birmingham, also received bomb threats, although they were deemed not credible. The source of the latest threats remains unknown, but emails sent to Italian airport authorities offered a potential lead.

The messages, believed to be from a Russian ultra-right group, threatened a "feminist regime" and aimed to "turn the skies red" with explosions.