At least 25 flights across Europe were disrupted this week following multiple bomb threat hoaxes, with over a dozen incidents reported on Thursday alone. Airlines including Ryanair, Aer Lingus, Wizz Air, Finnair, easyJet, Aegean Airlines, Iberia, Sky Express, Air Serbia, and LOT Polish Airlines were affected from Monday through Thursday, totaling at least 33 impacted flights.
Geographic Spread and Airport Responses
The threats targeted flights and airports across Italy, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Finland, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, France, Greece, Serbia, and Czechia. In the UK, London’s Heathrow and Birmingham airports received bomb threats overnight affecting four Heathrow aircraft, all confirmed
by the Metropolitan police aviation police command as hoaxes with no security issues found. Cork Airport in Ireland also received an anonymous phone threat leading to a Ryanair flight delay.
Threat Origins and Group Involvement
The bomb threat emails were signed by a group calling itself “fighters of the Male State,” a Russian far-right ultranationalist and misogynistic movement founded in 2016 and banned in 2021 by a Russian court. The threatening messages referenced explosions within 60 minutes and expressed opposition to what they termed “feminist regimes.” No explosives were found during searches, including on a Ryanair flight from Pescara to Brussels-Charleroi where the word “bomb”
was scrawled inside a toilet.
Official and Industry Responses
Nick Careen, IATA senior vice-president for operations, safety and security, said, “Safety is the number one priority for the industry and we take all threats seriously.” EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas condemned the threats against civilians but said it was too early to determine if the incidents were linked. Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto described the situation as “under-threshold warfare” designed to escalate tensions without clear attribution. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied Russian government involvement, labeling accusations as “absurd.”
Specific Flight Disruptions and Traveler Impact
Flight disruptions included diversions, emergency landings, and security inspections. An Aer Lingus flight en route from
Dublin to Rome was diverted to Évreux, France, where its pilot was questioned after initially refusing to land at a military base. Ryanair flights experienced delays and inspections, including one delayed at Cork following a phone threat. The flights affected represent a small fraction of the 27,400 flights scheduled across Europe on Thursday, but the security responses caused operational ripple effects.
Context of Hybrid Warfare and Security Investigations
The bomb threats coincided with cyberattacks targeting supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe, raising suspicions of coordinated hybrid warfare tactics. Authorities have found no evidence directly linking the hoaxes to hostile state actors such as Russia or Iran, while investigations
continue across several countries. Security agencies emphasize the ongoing precautions but have found no credible explosives or active security threats resulting from the incidents.
Ongoing Implications and Industry Procedures
The disruptions highlight vulnerabilities related to publicly available flight operation information and the challenges posed by coordinated malicious hoaxes. Airlines maintain strict security protocols and emergency procedures, despite the operational costs and travel delays caused by false bomb threats. Officials warn that repeated hoaxes risk normalizing such alerts, complicating future threat assessments and responses.
