Bomb Hoaxes Target Flights Across Europe Again; Delays Stay Limited

A new round of bomb threats hit flights across Europe on Friday, but the practical effect on passengers has so far been limited. No explosives have been found and no one has been injured, according to reports from The Associated Press, relayed by ABC News and NPR. Some planes were diverted, escorted by military jets or searched after landing.

Eurocontrol, the European air traffic authority, said the threats have caused minimal disruption to aviation across the continent, NPR reported. Authorities say it is still unclear who is behind the hoaxes.

What happened to flights on Friday

In Hungary, Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said military fighter jets escorted three passenger planes through the country's airspace within an hour, after each received a bomb threat. He named the flights as Brussels to Sofia and Prague to Cyprus and Romania.

The office of French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said four new bomb threats were made against aircraft flying over French territory. The planes landed safely at Paris' Orly Airport, where bomb disposal experts carried out inspections. The office did not say which flights were affected.

A Wizz Air flight from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice after a bomb alert. Passengers were evacuated after landing, and air traffic at the airport was briefly suspended, according to ABC News. Police searches found nothing. Other flights threatened included a Tarom service from Prague to Bucharest and a Ryanair flight between Lisbon and Rome. CNN Portugal reported a security operation when the Ryanair plane landed.

At Prague's Vaclav Havel Airport, spokesperson Denisa Hejtmánková said nine flights were threatened. The Independent reported that four were inbound and five outbound. Czech police said the security measures had a minimal impact on normal operations.

In Copenhagen, police went to the airport for a second consecutive day over threats directed at air traffic. They said their assessment was that passengers and others at the airport were not in danger. The airport said it was operating normally, according to The Independent.

Why it matters for travelers

For most passengers, the main effects so far have been the occasional diversion, evacuation or security search after landing. Eurocontrol said it knew of bomb threats against 14 flights on Thursday. That was 0.05% of the nearly 26,300 flights across the European network that day. It counted seven threatened flights on Tuesday. More than two dozen flights were affected earlier in the week, some of them diverted while authorities ruled out any danger.

The Independent reported that flights from the UK were also targeted this week, including from London Stansted, Newcastle and Glasgow. Heathrow and Birmingham airports received threats as well. The British government has said it believes the threats to UK airports and flights were malicious hoaxes.

Paul Reuter, vice president of the European Cockpit Association, said pilots and cabin crews review procedures, identify airports where they could divert and may carry extra fuel. He said the use of civil aviation for hoaxes or geopolitical disruption is "totally unacceptable."

Who is behind the threats

Authorities have not blamed any group or state, and no evidence has linked the hoaxes to a government, according to the AP. Officials have warned that Russia may be stepping up so-called hybrid threats in Europe, and the hoaxes come amid heightened geopolitical tensions.

An email sent Thursday to airport authorities in Rome, reviewed by the AP, claimed to come from a self-described anti-feminist group that said it was targeting a "feminist regime." Another European airport received a threat with similar wording, but it is not known whether the same sender was behind both.

The AP noted that fake bomb threats are fairly common, but so many in such a short time is unusual. The threats have also added to concern after other recent disruptions in Europe, including attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems and drone incursions.

Broadcasters also received threats

Separately, the Dublin headquarters of Irish national broadcaster RTE was evacuated Friday after a bomb threat. Live programs were replaced with pre-recorded ones, and staff returned after a few hours once police and sniffer dogs had searched the area and declared it safe. Irish police said they were aware of a threat made against media organizations in Ireland and elsewhere in Europe. UK-based Sky said it had received a security threat but stayed on air. It is not clear whether the incidents are linked.

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the episodes show how simple it can be to disrupt society through unconventional means meant to cause fear and anxiety.

What happens next

Martin said a "very significant security operation" will be in place next week, when Dublin hosts meetings of the European Political Community and European Union leaders. Eurocontrol said it is monitoring the situation and working with airlines, airports and navigation service providers to limit disruption to air traffic flows.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by The Independent, ABC News, NPR