In brief
Over the past week, more than 20 passenger flights across Europe were disrupted by bomb threats, prompting diversions and fighter‑jet scrambles. Airlines such as Ryanair, Finnair, Wizz Air, Aer Lingus, LOT Polish and Aegean were affected, yet no explosives were discovered. Investigators are examining whether the alerts stem from copy‑cat activity, an individual group, or state‑backed hybrid warfare, while analysis points to the threats potentially aiming to destabilize aviation operations.
A series of bomb threats that disrupted more than 20 passenger flights across Europe on Thursday prompted aircraft diversions, fighter‑jet scrambles and emergency inspections, yet authorities found no explosives.
The alerts, reported by Xinhua, involved airlines including Ryanair, Finnair, Wizz Air, Aer Lingus, LOT Polish Airlines and Aegean Airlines, with flights operating between Britain, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria and Greece.
Several threats were delivered through anonymous emails, a detail highlighted by Italian public broadcaster Rai News 24, which said a single Italian‑language email sent to Rome’s Fiumicino airport operator and other airport‑based companies triggered alerts for two Rome‑bound flights from Helsinki and Dublin.
Similar warnings were reported at other European airports, including Milan Malpensa, according to the same source, prompting speculation that the incidents may be coordinated though investigators have yet to establish a common source.
Matthew Borie, co‑founder and chief intelligence officer of aviation‑security consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions, outlined several possible explanations for the incidents, noting that copy‑cat behavior, repeated warnings by an individual or group, or hybrid‑warfare operations by state actors could be involved.
Security analysts suggested that repeated false warnings could be designed to create uncertainty for passengers, impose additional costs on airlines, and test the responses of aviation authorities, even without intent to carry out an actual attack.
It was too early to determine whether the …
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European commissioner for sustainable transport and tourism, said the European Commission was not yet able to assess the full impact of the wave of threats at a press conference in Dublin.
