Multiple flights in Europe were diverted on Thursday due to bomb threats, leading to emergency landings and investigations. Authorities reported that several aircraft landed safely after the threats were made.
Finnair Flight 1761, traveling from Helsinki to Rome, was diverted after receiving a bomb threat. The flight landed normally in Rome, and authorities found no suspicious items on board, according to Finnish broadcaster Yle.
Three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia, Bulgaria, also made emergency landings due to similar threats. Two of these flights, one originating from Copenhagen and the other from Madrid, landed safely at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport. A third Ryanair flight, en route from London Stansted to Sofia, was diverted to Plovdiv Airport, the city’s CEO Krassimir Peshev confirmed.
Separately, an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to a military air base in Evreux, Normandy, France, after a bomb threat. The aircraft, carrying 151 passengers and six crew members, landed safely. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office stated that bomb defusal teams were examining the plane.
These incidents follow a pattern of similar threats across Europe this week, affecting airlines such as LOT Polish Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, and Wizz Air. One flight bound for Bulgaria was diverted to Hungary the previous day after receiving a bomb threat mid-air. Investigations into these threats are ongoing, with authorities treating them as potentially coordinated disruptions amid heightened geopolitical tensions.