A wave of bomb threats targeting passenger aircraft has been reported across Europe in recent days.

On Thursday morning, an Aer Lingus Airbus A320 carrying 151 passengers and six crew members, operating the Dublin-Rome route, was diverted and landed at Évreux-Fauville air base in France, around 100 kilometres from Paris, following a bomb threat.

The office of the French Prime Minister said the situation was being closely monitored after the aircraft was diverted because of the threat.

“We are closely monitoring the situation involving the aircraft that was diverted following a bomb alert,” the office of French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said, according to Reuters.

According to reports, Aer Lingus flight EI402 departed Dublin International Airport at 6.23am and was scheduled to land at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Fiumicino at 10.50am. A French Rafale fighter jet escorted the aircraft as it landed at Évreux air base, where passengers and crew disembarked safely. Bomb disposal teams have arrived at the scene and are carrying out the necessary checks.

A series of alerts across Europe

Meanwhile, following anonymous reports of a possible bomb on a Finnair flight from Helsinki bound for Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, the relevant security protocols were activated on Thursday morning. The aircraft, escorted by Italian Air Force fighter jets, landed safely at Fiumicino at around 9.30am. Police bomb disposal experts immediately began carrying out checks, which are still under way. According to airport sources, the checks are proceeding smoothly and have not affected the airport’s operations.

Four aircraft bound for Prague received bomb threats on Thursday, with Czech police announcing on X that they were preparing for their arrival, while assessing the credibility of the threats as “low”. “Nevertheless, we are not underestimating the threat, which is why all the necessary security measures have been activated, with the minimum possible impact on passengers and airport operations,” police said. “After landing, all aircraft will undergo thorough checks by bomb disposal experts.”

Meanwhile, an Airbus A321 operated by Wizz Air landed at Vienna Airport after being diverted. The aircraft had taken off at 7am from Milan Malpensa’s Silvio Berlusconi Airport, bound for Warsaw. It was diverted to the Austrian capital “following a bomb threat received during the flight”, the airline said.

Bulgarian officials also reported that three aircraft had been forced to make emergency landings following bomb threats. Planes that had taken off from Copenhagen and Madrid landed in Sofia, the Interior Minister said, according to broadcaster bTV. A third aircraft, arriving from London, landed in Plovdiv, local media reported.

Seven false alarms on European flights

On 3 November 2026, seven bomb alerts were recorded on passenger flights across Europe, all of which proved to be false. The incidents involved flights bound for Italy, Bulgaria, Spain and Poland, prompting security checks and, in some cases, aircraft diversions and temporary disruptions to airport operations.

Four of the alerts involved Ryanair flights from Lisbon and Dublin: two bound for Rome’s Fiumicino Airport and two for Sofia, Bulgaria.

In Italy, the aircraft that had taken off from Dublin was escorted by two Italian Air Force fighter jets. Police bomb disposal experts activated the relevant security protocols to protect passengers and crew. Checks on passengers, luggage and the aircraft found nothing suspicious, and the alert was lifted.

A LOT flight from London Heathrow Airport bound for Warsaw Chopin Airport was forced to change course and land at Modlin Airport in the Polish capital.

In Spain, a Ryanair aircraft that had taken off from Manchester bound for Murcia, carrying 114 passengers and seven crew members, underwent checks following a bomb report. Here, too, the authorities ruled out the presence of explosives.

Another flight affected by a false alarm was operated by Wizz Air. The aircraft had taken off from Bergamo and landed in Sofia, where the necessary checks were carried out without any explosives being found.

The latest incidents occurred just one day after another Wizz Air flight was forced to make an emergency landing. The aircraft had departed London Luton Airport bound for Sofia but was diverted to Budapest following a bomb threat received during the flight. It was escorted by a Hungarian fighter jet before making an emergency landing at Ferenc Liszt International Airport.

Although no country has officially been blamed for the threats, the incidents come at a time when European officials are accusing both Russia and Iran of carrying out “hybrid attacks” and acts of sabotage. Both Moscow and Tehran deny any involvement in such campaigns.