A new wave of hoax bomb threats swept across European aviation on Thursday 5 November 2026, forcing passenger jets to divert, land under fighter-jet escort and undergo bomb searches in France, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Italy and Spain. At least a dozen flights were targeted on Thursday morning, with later reports counting 25 or more affected flights, in the second such wave in three days. No explosives were found on any aircraft.
The disruption began in the morning, when an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to a military airbase in France after a suspected bomb threat, and spread through the day as threats reached airlines from Ireland to Bulgaria. Every threat was treated as genuine until checks proved otherwise, which meant delays, diversions and military escorts even though nothing dangerous was discovered.
European Flights Bomb Threats — Quick Reference Summary
| Detail | What happened |
|---|---|
| Date of latest wave | Thursday 5 November 2026 |
| Flights targeted | At least 12 on Thursday morning; later reports counted 25 or more affected flights |
| Most serious diversion | Aer Lingus EI402, Dublin to Rome, diverted to Évreux military airbase in France; 151 passengers and six crew moved to safety |
| Bulgaria | Three aircraft made emergency landings — flights from Copenhagen and Madrid landed in Sofia; a London flight diverted to Plovdiv |
| Czech Republic | Four aircraft heading to Prague received threats; pyrotechnic inspections found nothing |
| Other diversions | Wizz Air Milan–Warsaw diverted to Vienna; Finnair Helsinki–Rome escorted by an Italian fighter jet; LOT Warsaw–Brussels landed safely |
| Previous wave | Tuesday 3 November 2026 — at least seven flights and a cruise ship targeted; an airport outside Warsaw briefly closed |
| Devices found | None, in either wave |
| Attribution | No claim of responsibility; no country has attributed blame; Russia and Iran deny involvement |
Dublin to Rome Flight Diverted to a French Military Airbase
The most serious incident of the day involved Aer Lingus flight EI402 from Dublin to Rome. French authorities said the Airbus A320 was rerouted to France after a suspected bomb threat and escorted by military aircraft to Évreux airfield, about 100 kilometres west of Paris.
France’s air force said it had dispatched planes “as soon as the threat was reported”. The office of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said a bomb squad was in place at the airport and that 151 passengers and six crew were moved to safety.
Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed the aircraft turning near Paris and circling over the Évreux area after declaring an in-flight emergency. No one claimed responsibility for the threat, and officials did not attribute blame.
Three Emergency Landings in Bulgaria and Four Alerts Over Prague
Bulgaria reported that three aircraft had requested emergency landings on its territory because of bomb threats, according to local media. Planes flying from Copenhagen and Madrid landed in Sofia, the Bulgarian interior minister said, while a flight from London was diverted to Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second city. Bulgaria’s transport minister said inspections carried out on the three aircraft identified no issues.
Four airplanes heading to Prague also received bomb threats. Czech police said all four aircraft underwent pyrotechnic inspections, which yielded negative results. The investigation has been taken over by the National Centre against Terrorism, Extremism and Cybercrime, police said on X.
Spanish authorities said three flights were affected by hoax bomb threats at Madrid airport on Thursday morning. The threats, sent by email in under 20 minutes, involved two Air Europa departures from Madrid to Paris and inbound Iberia flights from Rome and Milan. Security forces ruled out any risk, Spanish authorities said.
Fighter Jets and Bomb Squads Scramble Across the Continent
The threats reached airlines across the whole continent within hours. A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Warsaw was re-routed to Vienna after a hoax bomb threat was reported, the airline said, adding that the diversion was carried out in accordance with established safety protocols.
Another hoax bomb alert was reported on a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome that was escorted to the Italian capital by a fighter jet and checked by bomb disposal experts, an airport spokesman told the AFP news agency. A second Finnair flight, from Helsinki to Vienna and operated by charter airline Jettime, landed as normal in Vienna after receiving a bomb threat.
In Belgium, LOT Polish Airlines said a flight from Warsaw to Brussels landed safely at its destination after a security warning. The crew conducted an onboard inspection and no suspicious items were found, and security services carried out an additional inspection after landing at Brussels’ Zaventem airport. Two EasyJet flights from Britain, one flight from Ireland and one from Greece landed as scheduled in Prague after receiving bomb threats, while Italian media reported that two planes had landed safely in Milan after bomb alerts.
A Second Wave in Three Days — and a Wider Pattern of Disruption
Thursday’s wave came just two days after a similar series of threats on Tuesday 3 November, when at least seven flights and a cruise ship were targeted. That disruption prompted emergency searches, briefly shut down an airport outside Warsaw, and led the Italian Air Force to escort a Ryanair plane into Rome. No devices were discovered then either.
The pattern has echoes beyond aviation. Al Jazeera’s correspondent in London noted suspected cyberattacks that triggered supermarket fridge failures across Europe and drone incursions, alongside the bomb threats, as part of a wider context of disruption at a time of geopolitical tension. The same week, Russia and Ukraine said their emergency alert apps were hit by apparent cyberattacks sending fake nuclear warnings, a case covered in our report on the emergency alert apps cyberattack.
Who Is Behind the Threats — and What Officials Will Not Say
No country has attributed blame for the threats, and no group has claimed responsibility. The European Union said it was not yet clear whether the spate of hoax bomb alerts were connected, and that it was following events closely with national authorities.
The threats come at a time when European officials have been blaming both Russia and Iran for what they describe as a hybrid campaign against Europe. Denmark, Poland and Romania, all affected by Thursday’s disruptions, have previously accused Moscow directly, while Germany blamed Russia for an attack on Leipzig airport in August. Both Russia and Iran deny any involvement.
Eric Schouten, head of the aviation security group Dyami, noted that most of the countries affected supported Ukraine in its war against Russia’s invasion. The Royal Navy tracked a Russian spy ship off Scotland during a NATO exercise earlier this month, another sign of the sustained tension between Moscow and Western Europe. None of this proves who sent the bomb threats, and officials have been careful not to claim a link.
What the Disruption Means for Passengers and Airlines
For passengers, the immediate effect was delay and uncertainty rather than danger. Every diverted flight meant missed connections, long waits on the tarmac and rebooking, even though every inspection so far has found nothing. Airlines follow the same procedure for every threat, real or hoax, because there is no safe way to tell the difference from the ground.
For airlines and airports, the cost is measured in disrupted schedules, emergency responses and military scrambles. A single diversion can tie up a runway, a bomb squad and a fighter escort for hours. Two waves in three days also raise questions about how long the pattern can continue before it starts to change how Europeans book and plan flights — although there is no evidence yet that bookings have fallen.
What is clear is that the threats work as disruption even when they are hoaxes. Until whoever is sending them is identified, every new threat will trigger the same full response, and that is exactly the point of sending them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many flights were affected on 5 November 2026?
At least a dozen flights were targeted on Thursday morning, and later reports counted 25 or more affected flights across the day. The count rose through the day as more airlines reported threats.
Was anyone hurt in the bomb threats?
No injuries were reported. All 151 passengers and six crew on the diverted Aer Lingus flight were moved to safety, and every other affected flight landed safely.
Were any explosives found on the planes?
No. Inspections, including pyrotechnic checks in Prague and Bulgaria, found nothing on any aircraft in either this week’s wave or the wave on Tuesday 3 November.
Which flight was diverted to France?
Aer Lingus flight EI402 from Dublin to Rome, carrying 151 passengers and six crew. It was escorted by French military aircraft to Évreux airfield, about 100 kilometres west of Paris.
Who is behind the bomb threats?
That is not publicly verified. No one has claimed responsibility and no country has attributed blame. Russia and Iran deny involvement, and the European Union has said it is not yet clear whether the alerts are connected.
Has this happened before this week?
Yes. On Tuesday 3 November, at least seven flights and a cruise ship received bomb threats, causing disruption at airports across Europe, including the brief closure of an airport outside Warsaw. No devices were found then either.
Claim checked: a bomb threat means a bomb was on board.
No. Every threat in both waves this week turned out to be a hoax, with no explosives found on any aircraft. Airlines and air forces still treat each threat as genuine, because there is no safe way to dismiss one without checking.
Claim checked: fighter jet escorts mean the plane was about to be shot down.
No. Fighter escorts are a standard security procedure when a threat is reported, used to guide the aircraft to a safe landing and to keep other traffic clear. The escorts in this week’s incidents brought planes down safely.
