Europe: Several airliners made unscheduled landings across Europe on Thursday morning following bomb threats, marking the latest in a series of similar incidents involving flights in the region, according to reports.
The alerts affected aircraft travelling to Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. They came two days after at least seven flights and a cruise ship received similar threats, disrupting airport operations across Europe. No explosives were found in those cases.
Aer Lingus flight EI402, travelling from Dublin to Rome, was diverted to Evreux airport, around 100 km west of Paris. The aircraft landed safely after the diversion was ordered as a security precaution, the Irish airline said.
In Belgium, media reports said a Polish carrier LOT aircraft was made to land at Brussels’ Zaventem airport.
A Finnair flight from Helsinki was escorted by the Italian air force before landing safely in Rome. Another Helsinki flight, operated by Jettime, landed normally in Vienna after receiving a bomb threat.
Bulgarian officials said three aircraft made emergency landings following threats. Flights from Copenhagen and Madrid landed safely in Sofia, while a third aircraft travelling from London was diverted to Plovdiv.
Czech police said four aircraft heading to Prague had received bomb threats. Authorities were preparing for their arrival, although the warnings were considered to have low credibility.
LOT said its Warsaw-Brussels flight landed safely without any suspicious items being found. Another flight to Paris was stopped while taxiing for take-off, and passengers were transferred to another aircraft as a precaution. Italian media also reported that a Wizz Air flight from Milan to Warsaw was diverted to Vienna.
NO IMMEDIATE EVIDENCE OF REAL THREATS
No explosive devices have been discovered following the latest alerts, and no country has blamed any party for the threats.
The incidents come amid European officials’ accusations that Russia and Iran are conducting “hybrid attacks” and sabotage activities. Both countries have denied the allegations.
The repeated warnings have raised concerns over disruptions to aviation operations, including diversions, military escorts and delays.
Separately, unidentified hackers this week disrupted supermarket refrigeration systems across several European countries. Eliran Almog, CEO of aviation cybersecurity firm Cyviation, said the threats could also be intended to test how airlines, airports and authorities respond.
