Wave of Hoax Bomb Threats Disrupts European Flights

A surge of hoax bomb threats targeted dozens of flights across Europe this week, forcing airlines to divert planes, execute emergency landings, and coordinate with security officials to keep air traffic moving safely. Despite the widespread disruption, aviation authorities confirmed that no suspicious items were discovered on any aircraft and no injuries were reported. No suspicious items were found and no one has been injured. 14 European flights hit by bomb threats in 3 days. Europe bomb scares: 11 more flights targeted.

European air traffic authorities emphasized that overall aviation operations suffered minimal lasting disruption. However, the sheer volume of fake alerts over a short span raised serious alarms across the continent, particularly as the incidents followed other recent disruptions in Europe, such as drone incursions and attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems. The threat also appeared to spill over to ground targets on Friday when security threats were received by three major broadcasters: Ireland’s national broadcaster RTE, UK-based Sky, and Bulgaria’s private broadcaster NOVA TV.

The origin and motivation behind the coordinated hoaxes remain unresolved, prompting security experts to schedule a conference in Brussels next week to formulate counterstrategy measures. Authorities have not officially attributed the incidents to any state actor or organization, and no direct evidence links the threats to a specific government. However, the hoaxes arrive amid elevated geopolitical friction and warnings that Russia might be expanding hybrid threats in Europe—covert and indirect actions aimed at destabilizing European nations.

Specific messages linked to the incidents revealed unusual claims. An email threat sent Thursday to airport authorities in Rome, reviewed by The Associated Press, claimed to be from an anti-feminist group targeting a “feminist regime.” Officials noted that another European airport received a threat written in similar language, though it remains unconfirmed whether it originated from the same source.

Local law enforcement agencies have also taken direct action regarding specific airport incidents. Dutch Marechaussee military police arrested a man at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Thursday night in connection with a bomb threat directed at a flight scheduled for Prague. Marechaussee spokesperson Doron Wallin stated on Saturday that the military police regularly handle fake bomb threats, adding that the suspect was released the following day while the plane completed its flight to Prague later Thursday evening. It is unclear if that incident was connected to the broader wave of hoaxes. And, in some cases, emergency landings and military escorts, the hoaxes have led to plane searches and diversions.

Aviation risk consultants urge passengers to maintain perspective while authorities manage the situation. Matthew Borie, co-founder and chief intelligence officer of Osprey Flight Solutions, explained that several scenarios could account for the wave of disruptions. These range from an initial threat generating copycat incidents to a single actor making repeated calls, as well as potential “hybrid warfare” tactics deployed by state actors or their proxy supporters.

Given the heavy focus on European targets, Borie noted that “there could be a Russian angle,” while adding, “We need to keep in mind, though, that Iranian hybrid warfare is just as active in certain pockets of Europe as well.” He urged travelers, “Don’t be alarmed,” pointing out that national governments maintain fully “coordinated response mechanisms,” which include dispatching NATO fighter jets to escort targeted aircraft when necessary.

Analyzing the strategic impact of the disruptions, Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Bruegel think tank in Brussels, stated that the threats serve as a way of “stress-testing” how effectively European governments and airport management respond and coordinate under pressure.

Kirkegaard noted that the objective behind such tactics “appears to be to sow chaos, uncertainty, about the reliability of air traffic across Europe. He warned that such disruptions carry “cascading effects,” including substantial economic costs tied to emergency inspections, criminal investigations, and the physical cleaning of grounded aircraft.