Bomb alerts disrupted flights travelling to several European destinations on Thursday, 5 November, with some aircraft diverted and others escorted by airforce units. The reports came just days after a separate series of threats affected at least seven flights, including two departing from the UK, and temporarily closed airports.
An Aer Lingus aircraft flying from Dublin to Rome was diverted to Normandy after reporting a bomb alert, according to the French prime minister's office. The aircraft declared an emergency while in flight and subsequently landed safely at the Evreux military airbase, the office of Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said.
All 151 passengers and six crew members aboard the Aer Lingus flight were safe, the office said. Military bomb disposal teams were examining the aircraft. Flight-tracking websites showed it approaching Paris before making a sharp change of course, flying several loops and then heading towards Evreux.
Shortly after reports of the Aer Lingus incident emerged, Bulgarian media, citing officials, reported that three aircraft had made emergency landings following bomb threats. Two planes, one travelling from Copenhagen and another from Madrid, landed in Sofia, broadcaster bTV reported, citing the interior minister. A third aircraft, which had departed from London, landed in Plovdiv, according to local media.
In Italy, airforce units escorted a Finnair aircraft operating a Helsinki to Rome service after it received a bomb alert, Italian news agency Ansa reported. The aircraft was safely escorted to the Italian capital. Belgian media also reported that an airliner forced to land at Brussels' Zaventem airport was operated by the Polish carrier LOT.
The latest alerts followed another series of bomb threats days earlier that led aircraft to make unplanned landings and caused temporary airport closures. Responding to those earlier incidents, a UK government spokesperson said the country was well prepared to deal with threats of that kind, describing them as malicious hoaxes.
Who was responsible for the earlier threats remained unknown. Matthew Borie of Osprey Flight Solutions, which advises airlines about threats to flights, said their concentration on Europe meant there could be a Russian connection. He also pointed to Iranian hybrid warfare activity in parts of Europe, presenting both observations without identifying who was behind the alerts.
