Second wave of bomb hoaxes disrupts European air travel

A second wave of bomb threats has affected at least 21 aircraft and several airports across Europe this week, prompting the UK government to label the incidents as malicious hoaxes. The disruptions touched flights in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Poland, and Romania. While no explosives were discovered during subsequent security searches, the repeated nature of the threats has raised questions about coordination and intent among aviation authorities and experts.

Among the most visible incidents was an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome, which was diverted to an air base in Normandy, France. Italian fighter jets also escorted a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome. In the United Kingdom, EasyJet flights from Newcastle and Glasgow were met by police in Prague as a precautionary measure. Additionally, London Heathrow and Birmingham airports received threats that were ultimately assessed as not credible, though standard emergency processes were initiated upon receipt.

Airport authorities in Rome confirmed that the threats against two inbound flights arrived via email on Thursday. The message was signed by a group or individual calling itself the Fighters of the Male State. The sender claimed to be targeting a feminist regime and expressed a desire to make their mark on history by turning the skies red with explosions. These details were first reported by Italian media and later verified by Aeroporti di Roma, which manages the city's airports.

The name Fighters of the Male State likely references the Russian ultra-right group Muzhskoi Legion, or Male Legion. That group was banned by a Moscow court in 2021 due to its extreme views, yet it maintained tens of thousands of online followers while supporting the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Despite this potential link, officials noted that the email itself is unlikely to provide sufficient leads for police to identify who is generating the current wave of hoaxes or their ultimate motivation.

UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the Thursday incidents as malicious hoax threats. She emphasized that the government is taking the situation seriously and relies on established processes for managing such events. A government spokesperson added that the threats, which were reported in the early hours of the day, had been resolved. Heathrow issued a statement confirming that a threat received earlier was deemed not credible, with no risk to passengers, staff, or aircraft.

Various airlines reported specific impacts on their operations. Wizz Air had two flights affected, with one diverted to Vienna and another landing safely in Bucharest for inspection. Polish airline LOT reported that one flight landed as planned while another was stopped before takeoff for screening. In Bulgaria, three Ryanair flights were escorted by air force fighter jets, with two landing in Sofia and one in Plovdiv. In Prague, police confirmed that four flights were checked with no explosives found, including the EasyJet services from the UK.

Other affected carriers included Aegean Airlines, which deemed threats to flights from Greece to Milan and Vienna unfounded, and Air Serbia, which confirmed a flight to Bucharest landed safely after checks. Spain's airport authority reported threats affecting three flights at Madrid airport, all of which were ruled out after inspections. Iberia confirmed that two of its flights were among those affected. A Ryanair flight from Porto to Milan also landed safely, where bomb disposal experts conducted checks.

Passengers aboard the diverted Aer Lingus flight described an unsettling experience. Emily Noble, a 26-year-old passenger, told BBC Verify that the crew initially cited a technical problem before admitting to a security issue as the plane circled for landing. She recalled hearing fighter jets and seeing one land behind their aircraft. The group remained on board for two and a half hours while police and military personnel conducted searches, including with sniffer dogs, before passengers were informed they would be transferred to a plane in Paris.

Aviation security experts expressed surprise at the frequency of the incidents. Philip Baum, a professor at the University of Coventry, noted that while multiple bomb threats occur daily, the pattern this week is unusual. He warned that issuing too many hoax threats could lead to complacency, potentially causing a real threat to be ignored or allowing hoaxes to serve as a diversion. Marco Chan, an expert at Kingston University, stated that while the threats are likely hoaxes, the system is correctly treating them as real. He suggested they may be part of a pattern of cheap, deniable disruption, though it is too early to distinguish between coordination and contagion.

This is the second major incident of its kind in a short period. Two days prior, seven European flights, including two from the UK, were searched after similar threats with no explosives found. On Monday, a Wizz Air flight from London Luton to Sofia was escorted by a Hungarian fighter jet to Budapest following a mid-air threat. The continued series of events has kept air travel under heightened scrutiny across the continent.