Panic in Europe with the threat of bombs! Emergency landings were made at some places and passengers were dropped at others, rerouting for 12 flights

Bomb threats across Europe forced at least 12 passenger planes to divert or make precautionary landings on Thursday, prompting security checks at airports in several countries for the second time in a week. Aer Lingus flight EI402 from Dublin to Rome landed safely at Evreux Airport in France, about 100 km west of Paris, after being diverted as a safety precaution, Irish Airlines said in a statement.

Likewise from Helsinki Rome Italian Air Force fighter jets escorted the Finnair flight before it landed safely at Rome Fiumicino Airport.

According to media reports Italian police later conducted a security search of the plane, but no explosives were found, airport officials said. According to local media, two flights from Copenhagen and Madrid landed in Sofia, while a third flight from London landed in Plovdiv.

Bomb scares from Dublin to Rome

In the Czech Republic, police said four aircraft en route to Prague were found to have improvised explosive devices. Officials described the risk as low risk, but said all necessary security measures had been activated and an inspection would be carried out after landing.

In addition, nearly 200 passengers were evacuated from a Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest after receiving a bomb threat. The aircraft landed safely at Henri Conda International Airport, where Romanian authorities initiated security procedures and deployed an explosives disposal team to investigate.

Airports in Europe on high alert

The new incidents come two days after at least seven flights and a cruise ship received bomb threats, disrupting operations at airports across Europe.

No explosive device was found following Tuesday’s alert. Although no country has claimed responsibility for the threats, the incidents come amid growing concern among European officials about hybrid attacks and sabotage operations involving Russia and Iran.

This week, unknown hackers also disrupted refrigeration systems in supermarkets in several European countries and French blood banks, causing temperatures in fridges and freezers to rise. Some experts have said fake bomb threats may be part of a larger pattern of low-cost, hard-to-detect disruption operations.