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A fresh wave of bomb threats against passenger flights threw air travel across Europe into disruption on Thursday morning, November 5, 2026, forcing airliners to divert to military air bases and regional airports across the continent as fighter jets were scrambled to escort some of the planes to safety. At least 12 flights were targeted on Thursday alone, according to AFP.
The most serious incident involved Aer Lingus flight EI402, travelling from Dublin to Rome. The Airbus A320 was diverted to Évreux-Fauville Air Base, a French military airfield about 100 kilometres west of Paris, after a bomb threat was reported while the aircraft was over France. The French Air Force dispatched military aircraft to escort the passenger jet, which landed safely. All 151 passengers and six crew members were brought to safety, and military bomb disposal teams were examining the plane, the office of French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said.
In Bulgaria, three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia made emergency landings. Flights from Madrid and Copenhagen landed at Vasil Levski Airport in Sofia, while a flight from London Stansted was diverted to Plovdiv Airport. Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jets took off from Graf Ignatievo Air Base to intercept and escort the aircraft. Bulgaria's transport ministry said inspections after the threats found no issues, and operations at both airports returned to normal.
A Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome, AY1761, was escorted by Italian Air Force jets before landing safely at Rome's Fiumicino Airport, where security checks returned negative results and found no explosives on board. A second Finnair flight, AY1471 from Helsinki to Vienna, also received a threat and landed in Vienna without incident. Finnair said the threats against its flights were unfounded.
A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Warsaw, W46387, declared an emergency and diverted to Vienna after a threat was received during the flight, while a second Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest landed safely at Henri Coandă International Airport, where 182 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated. A LOT Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw to Brussels landed at Brussels Airport, where an inspection found no suspicious items.
In the Czech Republic, police said four aircraft heading to Prague's Václav Havel Airport had received threats claiming explosives were on board, made in an anonymous email. Police assessed the credibility of the threats as low, and later said the operation at the airport was over, with no bombs found and everyone safe.
Thursday's disruption was the second wave of threats in a week. On Tuesday, November 3, at least seven flights and a cruise ship, the Crown Iris, received bomb threats, causing disruption at airports across Europe, although no devices were discovered. The UK government has described the threats as a "malicious hoax". Trackers counted at least 24 flights targeted since Monday, November 2, when a Bulgaria-bound flight was diverted to Hungary after a similar threat. No one has claimed responsibility for the threats, and authorities have not said whether they are connected.
No explosives have been found in any of the searches so far, and every affected aircraft landed safely, with no injuries reported. Airlines and airports said safety procedures were followed throughout, with each threat treated as real until searches were complete.