European airlines face new wave of bomb threats
Fourteen flights were targeted on Thursday, while broadcasters in Ireland and the U.K. also reported security alerts.
By Alessia Desai ·
European aviation authorities reported a new series of bomb threats on Friday, following a week of similar hoaxes. Officials in Hungary, France, and the Czech Republic confirmed that multiple passenger planes were targeted. No suspicious items were found, and no injuries were reported.
Eurocontrol, the European air traffic authority, tracked 14 flights with bomb threats on Thursday. That represented 0.05% of the nearly 26,300 flights across the continent that day. The agency reported seven such threats on Tuesday. Eurocontrol stated it is working with airlines and airports to minimize disruption to air traffic flows.
In Hungary, Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said military fighter jets escorted three passenger planes across the country's airspace on Friday. The flights were traveling from Brussels to Sofia, and from Prague to Cyprus and Romania. In France, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's office confirmed four new threats against aircraft over French territory. Those planes landed at Paris' Orly Airport for inspections by bomb disposal experts.
Other affected routes included a Tarom flight from Prague to Bucharest and a Ryanair flight from Lisbon to Rome. A WizzAir flight from Prague to Rome diverted to Venice, where passengers were evacuated. At Prague's Vaclav Havel Airport, spokesperson Denisa Hejtmánková said nine flights were threatened. Czech police noted that security measures had a minimal impact on normal operations.
Broadcasters also faced threats. The Dublin headquarters of national broadcaster RTE was evacuated on Friday after a bomb alert. Staff returned after police and sniffer dogs searched the building. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the threats illustrate how simple it is to cause disruption. He announced a security operation for upcoming EU leader meetings in Dublin. U.K. broadcaster Sky also received a security threat but remained on air.
Authorities have not identified a specific group or state actor behind the hoaxes. An email sent to Rome airport authorities on Thursday claimed to come from an anti-feminist group targeting a feminist regime. Paul Reuter, vice president of the European Cockpit Association, said pilots review diversion procedures and may carry extra fuel. He called the use of civil aviation for geopolitical disruption totally unacceptable.
