At least 18 passenger flights were disrupted by bomb threats across nine European countries on November 6, 2026, triggering diversions, security inspections, and military escorts while no explosives were found. Václav Havel Airport Prague was the most affected, with nine flights impacted amid ongoing alerts involving Bulgaria, France, Italy, Hungary, Cyprus, Romania, the United Kingdom, and Portugal.
Operations at Václav Havel Airport Prague and Europe-wide Responses
Václav Havel Airport Prague spokeswoman Denisa Hejtmánková confirmed nine affected flights on November 6, including arrivals from Denmark, Spain, and the UK and departures to the Netherlands, Cyprus, Romania, Italy, and the UK. Czech police imposed heightened security with limited effect on airport
operations, which airport spokesman Jiří Hannich said remained largely normal. Four aircraft arriving in Prague the day before were also inspected following threats, revealing no explosives.
A Tarom flight from Prague to Bucharest landed safely, and Romanian authorities later declared that threat a hoax. A Wizz Air flight from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice Airport, where passengers disembarked for security checks; Venices’ airport operations were briefly suspended, and police found no explosives.
Military Escorts and Incidents Over French and Bulgarian Airspace
The Hungarian Ministry of Defence deployed Gripen fighter jets on three occasions during the morning of November 6 to escort civilian flights after bomb threats. At
9:48 a.m. a Gripen escorted an Airbus A321 flying from Brussels to Sofia near Kaposvár, Hungary. Later at 10:33 a.m., two Prague-departed aircraft bound for Cyprus and Bucharest were also escorted out of Hungarian airspace with NATO ordering increased patrols along borders.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s office confirmed four separate bomb threats on November 6 targeting aircraft flying over France. All planes landed safely at Paris Orly Airport, where bomb disposal teams inspected them. France had previously diverted an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome on November 5 to Évreux military air base for inspection following a bomb
threat.
Two threats affected flights arriving in Sofia from Brussels and London Stansted, confirmed by Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport. Bulgarian Air Force escorted three Ryanair flights to Sofia on November 5; two landed in Sofia and one diverted to Plovdiv. All were inspected with no explosives found.
Other European Airport Security Inspections and Flight Disruptions
A Ryanair Lisbon-to-Rome aircraft was inspected by Portuguese police after a bomb threat arrived while the plane was approaching Lisbon on November 6. The specialized unit found no explosives. In Denmark, police conducted precautionary inspections at Copenhagen Airport, completed by 12:22 p.m. CET, confirming no danger to passengers while airport management reported normal
operations.
Earlier threats from November 2 to November 5 also caused disruptions, including a Wizz Air diversion to Budapest from London Luton on November 2 accompanied by a Hungarian military escort. Flights to Warsaw, Murcia, Madrid, Prague, Brussels, Milan, and Rome involving Ryanair, Wizz Air, LOT Polish Airlines, easyJet, Aegean Airlines, Finnair, and Aer Lingus were inspected or diverted amid bomb alerts.
Security Measures and European Authorities’ Response
European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas declared on November 5 that bomb threats against civilians are unacceptable and the EU aviation security information-sharing mechanism has been activated. The European Commission has contacted affected member states
and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to coordinate security responses. A meeting of aviation security experts was scheduled in Brussels the following week to address the ongoing threats.
According to the European Commission, Regulation (EC) No 300/2008 establishes minimum EU-wide aviation security standards covering passenger and baggage screening, airport access control, and aircraft inspections. Member states retain responsibility for national security programs and independent threat assessments, allowing tailored responses such as flight diversions, military escorts, or on-ground inspections based on risk evaluations.
Eurocontrol reported that 26,709 flights were scheduled across Europe on November 6, with the 18 affected
flights representing roughly 0.067% of total traffic, indicating no general air traffic shutdown despite significant localized responses.
