Fake Bomb Threats Ground Wave of European Flights in Latest Scare

Bomb threats grounded a wave of European flights on Thursday. The warnings proved fake. At least 11 aircraft faced sudden diversions. Emergency landings followed. Passengers waited in uncertainty. The danger never materialized.

Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, Madrid, Milan, and Warsaw all saw departures affected. No one has identified the sender yet. This follows Tuesday’s scare. The U.K. government called those earlier alerts "malicious hoax threats."

Czech Police spoke to the chaos directly. Four planes heading to Prague received warnings about improvised explosive devices. Authorities prepared for landings at Prague Airport. They assessed the risk as low. Inspections came back clean. "Negative results," the police stated on X.

The timing is tense. European officials point fingers at Russia and Iran. They accuse both of "hybrid attacks" and sabotage. Moscow and Tehran deny everything. Reuters reported the growing suspicion.

One flight from Dublin to Rome took a detour. French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office confirmed the move. The plane landed at a military base in Evreux, Normandy. All 151 passengers and six crew members got off safely.

A LOT Polish Airlines jet from Warsaw to Brussels also landed. Inspectors found nothing suspicious. No hazardous items appeared on board. The airline confirmed the all-clear.

Wizz Air reported a similar incident. A Milan-to-Bucharest flight faced a bomb threat. It landed safely. Airport spokesperson Teo Postelnicu verified the details.

Finnair’s Flight 1761 went from Helsinki to Rome. It too received a threat. Nothing was found upon arrival in the Italian capital.

Ryanair faced a triple trouble. Three flights bound for Sofia, Bulgaria, made emergency landings. Two touched down at Vasil Levski Airport. One came from Copenhagen. The other left Madrid. Both landed safely.

The third Ryanair plane took a different path. It flew from London’s Stansted Airport. Instead of Sofia, it diverted to Plovdiv. That is Bulgaria’s second-largest city. Krassimir Peshev, CEO of Plovdiv Airport, confirmed the safe landing.

These incidents hit hard. They disrupt travel. They strain resources. And they fuel fear. The source remains a ghost. The threats persist. Europe stays on high alert.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.