Bomb Threats Divert Flights Across Europe as Hoax Alerts Ground Planes for a Third Day

Bomb threats forced passenger planes to divert, land early and undergo security searches across Europe on Thursday, 5 November 2026, in the third day of a wave of false alarms that has disrupted air travel across the continent. Fighter jets were scrambled, a Dublin-to-Rome flight was sent to a French military air base, and airports in several countries carried out emergency checks. No explosives have been found in any of the searches so far, and no one has been hurt.

The latest alerts hit flights operated by Aer Lingus, Ryanair, Finnair, Wizz Air and LOT Polish Airlines, among others, with incidents reported in France, Bulgaria, Italy, Austria, Belgium and Spain. Authorities have not said who sent the threats, and it is not yet clear whether they are connected.

What happened on Thursday

The most serious incident of the day involved Aer Lingus flight EI402, an Airbus A320 flying from Dublin to Rome. After a bomb threat was reported, the plane was diverted to the Évreux air base in Normandy, about 100 kilometres west of Paris, the office of French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed. All 151 passengers and six crew members were moved to safety, and bomb disposal teams were sent to work on the aircraft.

Sending a passenger plane to a military base, rather than a civilian airport, is unusual. It shows how seriously the French authorities treated the alert, even though nothing suspicious had been found on board at the time of the diversion. Aer Lingus confirmed the flight had diverted as a security precaution and that it landed safely.

In Italy, a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome was escorted by Italian air force jets to Rome’s Fiumicino airport, where it landed normally and was checked by explosive ordnance specialists. Finnair said a second flight, from Helsinki to Vienna, had also faced an unfounded bomb threat on the same day. In both cases the threats turned out to be false.

In Bulgaria, three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia were targeted on Thursday morning. Two of the aircraft, arriving from Copenhagen and Madrid, landed safely at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport, where security checks were under way. A third flight, from London Stansted, was diverted to Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second-largest city, where it also landed safely. Bulgaria’s transport ministry confirmed the incidents, and the Bulgarian Air Force scrambled MiG-29 jets to escort the flights.

A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Warsaw was diverted to Vienna after a threat was received during the flight, a spokesman for the airline said. Another Wizz Air flight, from Milan to Bucharest, landed safely after a bomb threat, according to an airport spokesperson. In Belgium, a LOT Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw to Brussels was checked after a threat, and no suspicious items were found. A separate LOT flight from Warsaw to Paris was stopped while it was taxiing and directed to a parking stand for a security check.

Reports on the exact number of flights affected on Thursday varied as the day went on, with different outlets counting between seven and more than a dozen. What is clear is that the alerts hit flights in at least six countries on a single morning, and that every search carried out so far has found nothing.

A pattern that began on Monday

Thursday’s alerts were not the first of the week. The wave began on Monday, 2 November, when a Wizz Air flight from London Luton to Sofia was diverted to Budapest after a bomb threat was received during the flight. A Hungarian Gripen fighter jet was scrambled to escort the aircraft.

On Tuesday, 3 November, at least seven passenger flights were searched after a string of bomb threats that authorities later found to be false. Four Ryanair flights were affected that day, prompting searches in Italy, Spain and Bulgaria. Two flights, from Lisbon and Dublin, were searched at Rome’s Fiumicino airport after what the airport operator called “potential bomb threats”. The planes, luggage, passengers and crew all went through searches and bomb sweeps, and the alert was cleared.

In Spain, Murcia airport activated a security protocol after a bomb alert on a Ryanair flight from Manchester. Everyone on board disembarked and underwent security checks while security forces inspected the aircraft. A Ryanair flight from Dublin to Sofia landed safely with 185 passengers on board after a bomb threat, and Bulgaria’s transport ministry told Reuters that no explosive devices were found during the inspection.

A Wizz Air flight from Milan/Bergamo to Sofia was also targeted on 3 November. It landed safely with 176 passengers on board, and again nothing was found. A LOT Polish Airlines flight from London made an unscheduled landing at Warsaw-Modlin airport after a bomb threat alert; air operations at the airport were suspended and resumed around midday. An SAS Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen to Warsaw landed at Warsaw-Chopin airport and was checked. Polish authorities said the threat was not confirmed, and the airport continued operating.

The British government called Tuesday’s incidents “malicious hoax threats”.

The pattern is not entirely new. On 18 October, an Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna diverted to Sofia after a reported bomb threat while flying over Romania. A Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29 escorted the Airbus A320, which landed about 30 minutes after the alert was raised. All 51 passengers and six crew members were evacuated, and the security search found no threat. The flight later continued to Vienna with all its passengers.

Who is behind the threats?

So far, nobody has claimed responsibility for the threats, and investigators have not named any suspects or described the exact wording of the messages. Authorities in several countries are investigating how the threats were sent — by email, phone or electronic message — and whether the incidents are connected.

Matthew Borie, chief intelligence officer at aviation security consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions, told the Associated Press that the explanations ranged from copycat threats to a single individual or group behind multiple alerts, and that state actors or their supporters could not be ruled out. He said the hoaxes fit a pattern of hybrid attacks on critical infrastructure, but stressed that this was only one possible explanation.

European officials have increasingly accused Russia and Iran of carrying out “hybrid attacks” and sabotage operations, allegations that both Moscow and Tehran reject, Reuters reported. Germany has blamed Russia for a failed drone attack on Leipzig airport in August. But investigators have so far found no evidence linking the bomb threats to a hostile state, and officials have been careful not to blame anyone publicly.

The Bulgarian authorities have said the senders had started targeting certain airlines, and the country’s National Centre against Terrorism, Extremism and Cybercrime has taken over the investigation. Authorities in several countries are working together to determine whether the threats were coordinated.

Why a hoax can still cause so much disruption

A bomb threat does not need to be real to cause serious disruption. Airlines and airports must treat every threat as genuine until it is proven otherwise. That means diverting planes, scrambling fighter jets, closing runways, evacuating passengers and searching aircraft, luggage and cargo — a process that can take hours and cost airlines and airports a great deal of money.

For passengers, the result is missed connections, long waits in airport terminals and, in some cases, overnight stays far from their destination. For airlines, a single diverted flight can disrupt the schedule for the rest of the day, because the aircraft and crew are no longer where they were supposed to be. When several flights are hit on the same day, the knock-on effects spread across the network.

The incidents also put pressure on military and police resources. Fighter jets from France, Italy, Hungary and Bulgaria have all been scrambled this week to escort civilian aircraft. Bomb disposal teams have been called out at airports in several countries. Every one of those responses is necessary when a threat is received — but every one of them is also expensive and disruptive when the threat turns out to be false.

That is why hoax threats are treated as a serious crime in most European countries, even when no bomb is found. The UK government described Tuesday’s alerts as “malicious hoax threats”, a phrase that underlines the deliberate nature of the disruption.

What happens next

Investigators in several countries are now trying to trace the source of the threats. The key questions are whether the messages came from one person or group, whether they were sent from inside or outside Europe, and whether the pattern of targeting — certain airlines, certain routes — tells investigators anything about the motive.

Airlines have not announced any changes to their schedules, and European aviation has continued to operate normally apart from the affected flights. Passengers travelling in Europe are being advised to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport and to allow extra time, in case of delays caused by security checks.

If the threats continue, governments may face pressure to step up security around how threats are reported and verified, and to improve coordination between countries so that a threat against a flight crossing several borders is handled quickly and consistently. For now, the authorities’ message is the same as it has been all week: every threat is taken seriously, every aircraft is searched, and so far, every one of them has been a hoax.

FAQ

Were any explosives found?
No. In every search carried out so far — on Tuesday and on Thursday — no explosive devices were found, and no one was hurt.

Which airlines were affected?
Flights operated by Aer Lingus, Ryanair, Finnair, Wizz Air, LOT Polish Airlines, SAS Scandinavian Airlines and Austrian Airlines have all been targeted since 2 November.

Was anyone arrested?
No arrests have been reported. Investigations are under way in several countries, and no suspects have been named.

Are flights in Europe still safe?
Airlines and airports continue to operate normally apart from the affected flights. Authorities treat every threat as genuine until it is checked, which is why planes are diverted and searched even when the threat later turns out to be false.

Could the threats be linked to a foreign government?
Investigators have not established any link to a state actor. Experts say state involvement cannot be ruled out, but they also say the threats could be the work of copycats or a single individual or group. No evidence has been made public pointing to any government.

Conclusion

Three days of bomb threats have forced fighter jets into the air, sent a passenger plane to a French military base and disrupted travel for thousands of people across Europe — and every single threat has turned out to be false. The incidents show how a simple message, sent from anywhere, can ground planes, close runways and tie up emergency services across an entire continent.

Until investigators find who is behind the threats, airlines and airports will keep treating every alert as real. That is the right response, but it is also an expensive one — and the longer the wave continues, the greater the pressure will be on European authorities to find the source and stop it.

Sources

• Reuters, “Factbox: Bomb threats cause flight disruptions across Europe” (5 November 2026): https://srnnews.com/factbox-europe-wide-bomb-threats-disrupt-air-travel/
• Associated Press, “Aer Lingus flight diverted to French military airbase following security threat” (5 November 2026): https://apnews.com/article/6585ff565ee1ccb9f19b73074aa2fec4
• Bloomberg, “More Bomb Threats Divert Flights, Cause Disruption in Europe” (5 November 2026): https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2026/11/05/891643.htm
• Brussels Signal, “Hoax bomb threats disrupt European aviation for third time in a week” (5 November 2026): https://brusselssignal.eu/2026/11/hoax-bomb-threats-disrupt-european-aviation-for-third-time-in-a-week/

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.