Prague: European authorities reported a fresh wave of bomb threats targeting passenger flights on Friday, following a series of hoaxes that caused diversions and security checks earlier in the week. Broadcasters in Ireland, Britain, and Bulgaria also received security threats, raising concerns that the disruption could be spreading beyond aviation.
No suspicious items have been found, and no injuries have been reported. However, the threats have added to concerns over a series of disruptions across Europe, including attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems and drone incursions.
The threats have caused limited disruption to aviation overall, according to European air traffic authority Eurocontrol.
The agency said it was aware of bomb threats against 14 flights on Thursday, representing 0.05 per cent of the nearly 26,300 flights across the European network that day. Seven flights received threats on Tuesday, while European Union Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said 11 more threats had been reported on Friday.
Despite the limited impact on overall air traffic, airlines are required to take every threat seriously because they are responsible for passenger safety, said Robert Jordan, research director at Britain's Royal United Services Institute think tank.
Jordan told the BBC that the number of ways to threaten flights had increased, while secure messaging applications had made it easier for senders to remain anonymous.
"The risk appetite for airlines is always going to be incredibly low," he said, noting the improvements in airport security in recent years. "It is baked into their safety procedures, and it's baked into their security procedures."
After a meeting with Eurocontrol and the EU Aviation Safety Agency in Brussels, Tzitzikostas said security experts would meet in the Belgian capital next week to discuss measures to address the threats.
"Our priority here is clear. The safety of passengers and the smooth functioning of European aviation," he said.
Fighter jets escort passenger planes
In Hungary, Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said fighter jets escorted three passenger aircraft through the country's airspace on Friday within an hour of each receiving a bomb threat.
The affected flights were travelling from Brussels to Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, and from Prague to Cyprus and Romania.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's office said four bomb threats had been reported against aircraft flying over France. The planes landed safely at Paris' Orly Airport, where bomb disposal experts carried out inspections. The office did not identify the affected flights.
Other threats targeted a Tarom flight from Prague to Bucharest, Romania, and a Ryanair service from Lisbon to Rome. A Wizz Air flight travelling from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice following a bomb alert, and passengers were evacuated after it landed.
Eurocontrol said it was monitoring the situation and working with airlines, airports, air navigation service providers and other organisations across Europe "to mitigate any disruption to air traffic flows".
Nine of the affected flights were arriving at or departing from Václav Havel Airport in Prague, spokesperson Denisa Hejtmánková said. They included flights from Denmark, Spain and Britain, as well as departures to the Netherlands and Britain, in addition to services to Cyprus, Italy and Romania.
Czech police said security measures had been implemented with "a minimal impact on the normal operations at the airport".
The diversions and inspections have nevertheless added costs for airlines and inconvenience for passengers.
"I think it's a big problem for aviation that this is happening," said Torstein Nymoen, a 52-year-old Norwegian traveller at Prague airport. "It must cost a lot for the companies, the aviation companies. And I think that it's sad that some people are doing this."
In Denmark, police were deployed to Copenhagen Airport for a second consecutive day as a precaution following threats directed at air traffic. Authorities said there was no danger to passengers or others at the airport.
Authorities yet to identify those behind threats
More than two dozen flights were affected by threats earlier in the week, with some diverted while authorities carried out security checks.
Although fake bomb threats are relatively common, the number reported across Europe within such a short period is unusual.
Authorities have not identified those responsible for the latest threats or attributed them to any group or state actor. The incidents have occurred amid heightened geopolitical tensions and warnings that Russia may be stepping up so-called hybrid threats in Europe. However, no evidence has emerged linking the hoaxes to a government.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the recent cyberattacks and bomb threats were a cause for concern.
"Today we are not in a position to say whether these events are all connected," she said on the sidelines of an event in Verona. "But they certainly tell us the same thing: that civilian infrastructure is under attack."
An email containing a bomb threat sent to airport authorities in Rome on Thursday and reviewed by The Associated Press purported to come from a group describing itself as anti-feminist. The sender claimed to be targeting a "feminist regime".
Another European airport received a threat with similar wording, although it was unclear whether the messages came from the same sender.
Paul Reuter, vice president of the European Cockpit Association, said bomb threats created unnecessary tension for pilots, but flight crews were trained to respond professionally.
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Pilots review emergency procedures with cabin crews, identify possible diversion airports and may carry additional fuel as a precaution, he said.
Reuter described using civil aviation for geopolitical disruption or hoaxes as "totally unacceptable".
Broadcasters in three countries report threats
The threats have also reached media organisations.
In Ireland, the Dublin headquarters of national broadcaster RTÉ was evacuated on Friday following a bomb threat. Live broadcasts were replaced by prerecorded programmes while police searched the area.
Staff returned to the building a few hours later after officers, accompanied by sniffer dogs, completed their checks and declared the premises safe.
Ireland's police force, An Garda Síochána, said it had been liaising with media organisations and would investigate the threat.
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the incidents involving RTÉ and other organisations highlighted how easily unconventional activities could disrupt public services and create fear.
He said a "very significant security operation" would be in place next week when Dublin hosts meetings of the European Political Community and European Union leaders.
UK-based broadcaster Sky also reported receiving a security threat. In a statement reported by Sky News, the company said: "We are working closely with authorities to ensure our people and operations remain secure."
Sky News continued broadcasting.
Meanwhile, Bulgarian private broadcaster NOVA TV said it had received an email threatening it with a bomb. The sender claimed to be behind the threats targeting European air traffic.
The broadcaster said it had implemented its standard safety measures, but its television and radio broadcasts continued without interruption.
