Bomb threats against European passenger flights reach third wave, no perpetrator identified

A third wave of threats in one week

Bomb threats against passenger flights in Europe continued on 6 November, adding to earlier waves in the week of 2 November. At least 30 threats against aircraft have been reported since Tuesday, 3 November. Reports on Thursday, 5 November, put the number of affected passenger flights at more than a dozen in some accounts, around 20 in others and more than 20 aircraft in a further account. Authorities and airlines said those threats were aimed mainly at flights to and from Italy, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, involving carriers such as Ryanair, Finnair, Wizz Air and Aer Lingus. Vienna Schwechat airport was also hit that day, when some aircraft landed unscheduled and others were escorted or intercepted by fighter jets. No explosive devices were found on the flights of 5 November.

Incidents on 6 November

Portuguese police reported two bomb threats against the same Ryanair aircraft in Lisbon, according to RTP. A separate Ryanair flight from Rome to Lisbon triggered a security operation after landing, when police for public security (PSP) received a phone threat from a caller claiming to belong to a security agency. A Wizz Air flight from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice after a phone warning about an explosive device on board. Aircraft from London and Brussels bound for Sofia were also threatened, and all of them landed safely. In Prague, the airport spokeswoman said nine flights were targeted, while police said on X that a larger number of arriving and departing aircraft were affected, and later reported that explosives checks had come back negative. The French prime minister's office reported four new threats against aircraft over French territory, all of which landed safely.

Investigations and open questions

No perpetrator has been identified. The European Commission activated a mechanism for cross-border information exchange, and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in Cologne is taking part. French judicial authorities opened preliminary investigations, and a Czech police unit against extremism, terrorism and cybercrime is handling the Prague case, which it rates as low in relevance. Vienna's Lower Austria state protection and extremism office (LSE) is investigating threat emails sent to Vienna Schwechat, while authorities withhold details to deter copycats. The BBC reported that an email to the Rome airport authority was signed in the name of "Fighters of the Male State". At least four flights threatened on 6 November crossed German airspace.

Risk and response

Hansjörg Bürgi, an aviation journalist and former editor-in-chief of Skynews.ch, told SRF that airlines cannot afford to ignore a bomb threat, even though a bomb on board in Europe is very unlikely. He put the situation bluntly:

“It is simply annoying.”

He said EU rules require all checked and carry-on luggage to be scanned for explosives, which is why such incidents had not occurred for a long time. On 6 November, a Wizz Air A321 on the Paris-Beauvais to Iași route squawked code 7700, the general aviation emergency signal, aborted its flight and turned back. A Tarom Boeing 737 that had left Prague for Bucharest sent the same code, and SRF reported that no flights were cancelled or diverted at Prague airport.