(Paris, France) – A new wave of bomb threats disrupted passenger flights across Europe on November 5, prompting diversions, fighter-jet escorts and aircraft searches. Inspections reported by authorities and airlines found no explosives or suspicious materials, although investigations into the threats remained underway.

More than a dozen flights were affected, according to The Associated Press. The incidents followed earlier false alerts this week, extending the disruption to routes linking cities including Dublin, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Madrid, Milan and Warsaw.

An Aer Lingus service from Dublin to Rome was diverted to the Évreux military airbase in Normandy. French authorities said military aircraft escorted the plane. The French prime minister’s office said all 151 passengers and six crew members were safe, AP reported.

Aer Lingus said it was working to get passengers to their destination as soon as possible, according to AFP. The diversion was one of several precautionary changes to flight operations, rather than evidence that an explosive device had been discovered.

In Bulgaria, three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia received threats. Aircraft arriving from Copenhagen and Madrid landed safely in Sofia, while a service from London Stansted was diverted to Plovdiv. Bulgarian authorities said searches found no explosives, AFP reported.

Italian fighter jets also escorted a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome. Finnair subsequently said that service and a separate Helsinki–Vienna flight had faced unfounded bomb threats. Both reached their destinations safely, passengers disembarked and nothing suspicious was found, according to AP’s live coverage.

Czech police reported threats involving four aircraft heading to Prague. Searches after landing found nothing suspicious. Separately, AP reported that a threat prompted checks on a departing LOT flight at Warsaw’s Chopin Airport, temporarily closing one runway during security procedures.

Thursday’s incidents add a fresh round of disruption after earlier alerts triggered searches and diversions elsewhere in Europe. The origin and motives remained unknown. The available findings did not establish who was responsible or whether the threats formed a coordinated campaign.

Accompanying image: editorial illustration.

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