European Air Traffic Faces Coordinated Bomb Threats

European air traffic authorities are managing a surge of bomb threats that has touched more than two dozen flights this week, forcing diversions and security sweeps across the continent. Eurocontrol, the European air traffic authority, stated it was aware of threats against 14 flights on Thursday and seven on Tuesday. These incidents represent 0.05% of the nearly 26,300 flights that operated across the European network on Thursday.

The disruption began earlier in the week with a series of hoaxes that caused multiple flight diversions. By Friday, officials reported a fresh batch of threats. In Hungary, defense minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said military fighter jets escorted three passenger planes across the country's airspace within an hour after they received alerts. The affected routes included flights from Brussels to Sofia and from Prague to Cyprus and Romania.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's office confirmed four new threats against aircraft flying over French territory on Friday. The planes landed safely at Paris' Orly Airport, where bomb disposal teams conducted inspections. No suspicious items were found. Other affected routes included a Tarom flight from Prague to Bucharest, a Ryanair flight from Lisbon to Rome, and a WizzAir flight from Prague to Rome that diverted to Venice.

At Prague's Vaclav Havel Airport, spokesperson Denisa Hejtmánková said nine flights were threatened, including arrivals from Denmark, Spain, and Britain, and departures to the Netherlands, Cyprus, Romania, Italy, and Britain. Czech police reported that security measures had a minimal impact on normal operations. In Copenhagen, police returned to the airport on Friday for a second consecutive day to assess threats directed at air traffic.

Authorities have not identified a specific group or state actor behind the hoaxes. An email sent to Rome airport authorities on Thursday purported to come from an anti-feminist group targeting a feminist regime. A similar threat was received by another European airport, though it is unclear if the same sender was responsible. Paul Reuter, vice president of the European Cockpit Association, described the use of civil aviation for geopolitical disruption as totally unacceptable. He noted that pilots review diversion procedures and may carry extra fuel in response.

The aviation threats coincide with security alerts for major media organizations. The Dublin headquarters of national broadcaster RTE was evacuated on Friday after a bomb threat. Live broadcasts were replaced with pre-recorded programs until police and sniffer dogs cleared the building. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the incidents illustrate how simple it is to cause disruption through unconventional activities. He confirmed a very significant security operation will be in place next week when Dublin hosts meetings of the European Political Community and European Union leaders. U.K.-based broadcaster Sky also received a security threat, though Sky News remained on air.

Eurocontrol is working closely with airlines, airports, and navigation service providers to mitigate disruption to air traffic flows. The authority is monitoring the situation as it coordinates responses across the continent. No injuries have been reported, and security inspections have found no explosives.