The Smart Marty Sky Dispatch
Europe flight disruptions: 20 planes targeted by hoax bomb threats for third day
Europe faces flight disruptions as hoax bomb threats target 20 planes for the third day, prompting fighter jet escorts and diversions across multiple countries.
Around 20 commercial flights across Europe were targeted by hoax bomb threats on Thursday, prompting fighter jet escorts for several aircraft and diversion of three flights, with all planes eventually landing safely.
Threats were reported to airports in Rome, Sofia and London, plus others such as Birmingham and Prague, with messages signed by groups claiming to be “fighters of the Male State” or “Men’s State.” No explosives were found during inspections.
Bulgarian air force escorted three Ryanair flights heading to Sofia from Madrid, Copenhagen and London, with two other diversions noted to Plovdiv and Vienna. French fighter jets escorted an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome, which landed at Evreux military base after the aircraft reportedly did not cooperate with authorities at first.
The majority of targeted flights continued to their destinations or landed safely, including services to Brussels, Bucharest and Prague, while Copenhagen and other airports confirmed the affected planes landed as scheduled. Heathrow deemed a threat not credible, and no confirmed injuries or detonations were reported.
Authorities have not established a connection to a single group, though emails bearing misogynistic language claimed to come from “Male State” or similar designations. European officials cautioned that hybrid threats are an ongoing concern, with investigations ongoing.