Airlines across Europe received multiple bomb threats on Thursday morning, marking the second such incident this week and forcing several aircraft to make unscheduled or escorted landings.
However, none of the threats had immediately been found to be credible.
Although no country has identified those responsible, the incidents come amid growing accusations by European officials that Russia and Iran are behind what they describe as “hybrid attacks” and acts of sabotage across the continent.
Both Moscow and Tehran have denied involvement in any such campaign.
Aer Lingus flight EI402, travelling from Dublin to Rome, landed safely at Evreux airport, about 100km (62 miles) west of Paris, on Thursday after being diverted as a security precaution, the Irish airline said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Bulgarian authorities reported that three aircraft made emergency landings in the country following bomb threats.
According to broadcaster bTV, flights from Copenhagen and Madrid landed safely in Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital, the country’s interior minister said.
A third aircraft, travelling from London, was diverted to Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second-largest city, where it landed safely, local media reported.
Czech police said in a post on X that four aircraft heading to Prague had received bomb threats on Thursday.
Authorities were preparing for their landings but assessed the threats as having a low level of credibility.
Meanwhile, Italy’s air force safely escorted a Finnair flight from Helsinki to its scheduled landing in Rome, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Another Finnair flight from Helsinki, operated by Jettime, landed normally in Vienna after also receiving a bomb threat.
Polish airline LOT said a flight from Warsaw to Brussels landed safely at its destination following a security alert, with no suspicious items found on board.
The airline also disclosed that another flight bound for Paris was stopped while taxiing towards the runway for take-off. Its passengers were subsequently transferred to another aircraft as a precaution.
Meanwhile, Italian media reported that a Wizz Air flight travelling from Milan to Warsaw was diverted to Vienna following a bomb threat.
On Tuesday, at least seven flights and a cruise ship received bomb threats, disrupting operations at airports across Europe, although no explosive devices were discovered.
Earlier this week, unidentified hackers also disrupted supermarket operations in several European countries by shutting down refrigerators. Some experts believe the hoax bomb threats could be part of a similar pattern of low-cost, difficult-to-trace disruption efforts.
