A fresh series of bomb threats disrupted European air travel on Friday, November 6, prompting aircraft searches, diversions and military escorts after a week of hoaxes. Broadcasters in Ireland and the United Kingdom also reported security threats. No explosives were discovered and no one was injured.
In Hungary, Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said fighter jets escorted three passenger aircraft that had received threats. The reported routes included Brussels to Sofia and Prague to Cyprus. French authorities separately said four aircraft threatened while flying over France landed safely at Paris’ Orly Airport, where specialists searched them.
Threats also involved a Tarom service from Prague to Bucharest and a Ryanair flight between Lisbon and Rome. A Wizz Air aircraft traveling from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice. Passengers were evacuated there, and airport traffic was temporarily halted. The subsequent searches uncovered no explosives.
Prague airport spokesperson Denisa Hejtmánková said nine flights at the airport received threats. Police reported that their response caused little disruption to operations. In Copenhagen, police attended the airport on Friday for the second consecutive day following threats against air traffic. They said passengers and other people at the airport were not in danger.
Earlier in the week, threats had affected more than two dozen flights, with some diverted while officials investigated. Authorities have not attributed the incidents to a government or group. The disruption comes amid heightened tensions in Europe and warnings that Russia may be stepping up activity described as hybrid threats.
An email delivered to airport authorities in Rome on Thursday appeared to originate from an anti-feminist group. The message, reviewed by The Associated Press, described its target as a “feminist regime.” A different European airport received a similarly worded threat, though it remained uncertain whether both messages had the same sender.
Paul Reuter, vice president of the European Cockpit Association, said pilots prepare for such incidents by going over procedures with cabin crews and identifying possible airports for landing. Sometimes they also carry additional fuel. Reuter described the use of aviation to create disruption or circulate hoaxes as “totally unacceptable.”
In Dublin, a bomb threat forced RTÉ to evacuate its headquarters on Friday and substitute prerecorded programming for live shows. Irish police said they knew of threats directed at media organizations in Ireland and elsewhere in Europe and would investigate. U.K. broadcaster Sky also disclosed a security threat, although Sky News continued broadcasting. The company said it was coordinating with authorities to protect employees and operations.
Whether the broadcaster threats were connected to the aviation incidents remained unclear. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the threats demonstrated how easily people could interrupt everyday life and create fear. With Dublin due to host meetings of European leaders the following week, he said the city would have a “very significant security operation.”
