Further bomb threats disrupt at least another 18 flights across Europe

A coordinated wave of bomb threats disrupted air travel across Europe on November 5, 2026, affecting multiple flights and prompting extensive security procedures, diversions, and emergency responses across several countries. The Guardian reports that the disruptions extended beyond earlier incidents and were part of a broader pattern, with media organisations in Ireland and the United Kingdom among those affected as part of the expanding impact. Authorities and airlines remained engaged in safety protocols and ongoing investigations as the situation developed.

AeroTime tallies at least 16 passenger flights targeted across Europe, with fighter escorts deployed in France, Italy, and Bulgaria, three diversions, and widespread security inspections at airports. The affected carriers included Aer Lingus, Finnair, Ryanair, Wizz Air and LOT Polish Airlines. By mid-morning, searches had been completed in Rome, Prague, and Brussels with no explosives found, though checks continued elsewhere. The report notes that these incidents followed a similar wave two days earlier on November 3 involving Ryanair, Wizz Air, LOT and SAS, with no devices located in those earlier alerts as well.

Specific flight incidents highlighted include an Aer Lingus Airbus A320 operating from Dublin to Rome that was diverted to Évreux-Fauville Air Base in Normandy after a bomb threat. Flight EI402 landed shortly after 10:00 local time, with its 151 passengers and six crew moved to safety while bomb-disposal specialists examined the aircraft. The French Air and Space Force confirmed that interceptors escorted the airliner, and Aer Lingus said the flight landed safely after the diversion as a security precaution. In Italy, two Italian Air Force Eurofighters escorted Finnair Airbus A321 service AY1761 from Helsinki to Rome, which landed at Fiumicino for security checks; Finnair later indicated no unusual items were found on board, and Aeroporti di Roma confirmed checks were negative and did not disrupt normal operations.

Poland figures prominently in the wave, with a LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 737 MAX flight from London Heathrow to Warsaw diverting to Modlin Airport for an inspection; passengers were evacuated for checks, and Modlin briefly closed before reopening. Separately, a Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen to Warsaw landed at Warsaw Chopin Airport with passengers disembarking while police conducted investigations. The New York Times and other outlets corroborate these Polish diversions as part of the broader threat pattern, with no device located on the LOT aircraft, according to consolidated reporting.

Spain also saw a diversion tied to a Ryanair service from Manchester that was redirected to Murcia, with parts of the airport briefly cordoned off pending checks. Investigators later characterized the threat as a hoax, and normal operations resumed after no explosives were found aboard. The Guardian’s corroboration across outlets, along with BBC News and France 24, places Spain among the European locations where precautionary searches occurred as part of standard security procedures in response to the threats.

In Bulgaria, authorities described an email-delivered bomb threat targeting an El Al service arriving in Sofia from Tel Aviv, prompting counter-terrorism units to inspect the aircraft as part of ongoing investigations. Some reporting also mentions a related or prior incident involving a Wizz Air flight from London to Sofia diverted to Budapest after a bomb threat, though the sequencing and connections vary between outlets. Investigations were under way, and no final findings were provided in the published material.

Across several countries, outlets describe a continent-wide pattern of precautionary searches, diversions, and security inspections with no explosives located on any aircraft or on any related ship, as noted by Al Jazeera and reiterated by The Telegraph, The Globe and Mail, Xinhua, and others. The incidents included emergency landings and airport-wide procedures, with fighter escorts deployed in some cases, and continued checks into the latter part of the morning as authorities coordinated cross-border responses.

The reports from Al Jazeera, Xinhua, The Telegraph, and The Globe and Mail emphasize that while at least four aircraft were diverted or forced to land for checks, no explosives were ultimately found aboard any aircraft or on related ships. The Guardian, AeroTime, and CBC coverage reinforce the broader Europe-wide response, noting ongoing investigations and related security actions as authorities worked to determine whether the incidents were connected and who might be responsible.

Overall, the event was characterized as a coordinated wave of bomb threats affecting multiple European air journeys on November 5, with fighter escorts, several diversions, and comprehensive security inspections across numerous airports. While several specific flight diversions and airport responses are detailed by multiple sources, a single, confirmed cause or group behind the threats had not been publicly identified as of the latest reports, and investigators remained engaged in the cross-border inquiry.