Third Wave of Bomb Threats Disrupts European Air Traffic
Spanish officials describe the coordinated hoaxes as psychological warfare, while airlines report no injuries or devices found.
By Jack Weber ·
Passenger flights across Europe faced a third round of bomb threats on Friday, continuing a week of disruptions that have forced diversions and fighter jet escorts. All threats issued so far this week have proven to be hoaxes, with every aircraft landing safely and no explosive devices discovered on board.
The latest incident in Denmark involved threats directed at air traffic at Copenhagen airport. Danish police stated that their initial assessment found no immediate danger to passengers, and the airport reported it continued operating normally. In the Czech Republic, police reported threats affecting nine flights at Prague airport, including four inbound and five outbound. No flights were canceled or diverted in Prague, though a Wizz Air flight from Prague to Rome did land safely in Venice after a diversion.
French authorities confirmed four new threats against planes over French territory, all of which landed safely. In Portugal, a Ryanair flight from Rome to Lisbon triggered a security operation after landing following a bomb alert. These events follow Thursday’s major disruption, which saw dozens of flights affected by similar threats and several planes intercepted by fighter jets.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told national broadcaster TVE that the pattern of incidents suggests a coordinated effort. He stated, "The most reasonable assumption is that we are facing an attempt at hybrid aggression and a form of psychological warfare." Albares noted that determining the exact source would take time but emphasized that Europe must prepare for further challenges.
Security experts described the threats on Thursday as having the hallmarks of a coordinated hybrid attack, though they noted that copycats or individuals with personal grievances could also be involved. No country has formally assigned blame for the series of incidents. The threats have occurred alongside other sabotage attempts across the continent, including attacks on German electricity substations and defense facilities in the Baltic region.
Many officials have linked the campaign to Europe’s support for Ukraine, accusing Moscow of using cheap and deniable disruptions to avoid provoking an armed response. On Thursday, an email sent to airlines in Rome and Milan claimed the threats came from "fighters of the Male State." Vladislav Pozdnyakov, the Russian blogger who founded the anti-feminist group in 2016, said the movement no longer existed and had no involvement in the recent alerts.
