A sweeping wave of hoax bomb threats targeted passenger aircraft across Europe on Thursday, triggering emergency diversions, military fighter escorts and runway security sweeps across multiple nations. Authorities said no explosives were discovered on any plane, but the widespread disruption grounded schedules and raised security alarms across the continent.
Reports differed on the total number of aircraft affected. ABC News reported that more than a dozen flights were targeted, while The Guardian reported that at least 34 flights faced disruptions on Thursday alone, following several similar hoaxes earlier in the week. The alerts forced planes to divert to alternate destinations or make emergency landings for exhaustive cabin searches, luggage inspections and patrols by canine units.
Warplanes Scrambled in Midair
The scale of the threats prompted several European militaries to intercept commercial airliners mid-flight. In one incident, an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin bound for Rome was redirected to a French military base in Évreux. The office of French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said military aircraft were ordered to intercept the airliner after the flight crew did not initially cooperate with ground instructions. French regional prosecutor Remi Coutin said both the pilot and co-pilot were questioned by investigators after landing.
In another case, Italian air force fighter jets intercepted a Finnair plane flying from Helsinki to Rome following an emailed threat, after Croatian warplanes had tracked the jet through Croatian airspace. The aircraft touched down safely at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, where bomb technicians found no dangerous substances. Three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia, Bulgaria, were also disrupted, with two landing under military escorts and a third diverting to Plovdiv, airport officials said.
Airlines including Scandinavian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Wizz Air, Air Serbia and Iberia also experienced disruptions. In Spain, police received three threats within 20 minutes, forcing flight halts at Madrid’s airport, NBC News reported.
Mystery Surrounds Sender and Motives
Investigators across Europe said it remained unclear who orchestrated the hoaxes or whether all the threats were tied to the same sender. European Union Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas cautioned that it was too early to determine if the incidents were linked, though he noted that an EU aviation security information-sharing mechanism had been engaged.
At least two threats sent to airports in Rome and Sofia arrived via emails citing opposition to a “feminist regime” and were signed by the “fighters of the Male State,” according to texts reviewed by news organizations and airport officials. Male State is a Russian ultranationalist, misogynistic group founded in 2016 by Vladislav Pozdnyakov. Pozdnyakov, a backer of Moscow’s war in Ukraine, did not claim responsibility on his social media channels.
British Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told broadcasters the incidents were “malicious hoax threats” and stressed that established safety protocols were handling the disruptions.
Fears of Hybrid Warfare
The coordinated aviation scare coincided with recent security anxieties across Europe, including attacks on supermarket refrigeration networks and unauthorized drone sightings near key infrastructure. While European investigators emphasized there is currently no hard proof attributing the hoaxes to a foreign government or terror faction, several security experts and officials noted the potential for hybrid warfare meant to test emergency readiness and create economic instability.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto characterized the escalating disruptions as “under-threshold warfare,” explaining that such tactics are intentionally designed to fall below the line of direct attribution. The Kremlin has rejected claims linking it to recent European infrastructure disruptions, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov calling allegations against Moscow absurd.
Aviation analysts estimated each flight diversion can cost carriers hundreds of thousands of dollars in rerouting fees, crew rest scheduling and passenger connections. While European air traffic agencies emphasized that standard safety measures held, national police and intelligence bodies continue to trace the origins of the warning emails and phone calls.
