Bulgaria Flights Escorted Down in Europe-Wide Bomb Hoax Wave

Bulgaria's air force sent fighter jets to escort three airliners to the ground on Thursday after bomb threats, as hoax warnings disrupted at least 27 passenger flights across Europe. Bulgaria's transport ministry said inspections after landing found no issues and that normal airport operations had resumed.

The alerts on Thursday followed a similar wave days earlier that forced flight diversions and briefly closed an airport outside Warsaw. No explosive devices were reported in any of the incidents.

Key facts

• Thursday: at least 27 passenger flights disrupted across France, Italy, Bulgaria, Spain, Denmark, Poland, Romania, Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic and others
• In Bulgaria, three airliners were escorted to the ground; two landed in Sofia and one Ryanair flight was diverted to Plovdiv
• Inspections in Bulgaria identified no issues, and normal airport operations resumed
• Earlier in the week, a similar wave of threats caused diversions and briefly shut an airport near Warsaw
• No country has attributed blame, and the European Union said it was not clear whether the alerts were connected

What happened to flights in Bulgaria?

Bulgaria's air force said its fighter jets escorted three airliners to the ground after bomb threats. Two of the aircraft, which had departed from Copenhagen and Madrid, landed in the capital, Sofia, the country's interior minister said.

A Ryanair flight travelling from London to Sofia was instead diverted to Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second city. Bulgaria's transport ministry said the required inspections were carried out under applicable procedures and that no issues were identified, after which normal airport operations resumed.

What happened elsewhere in Europe?

In France, an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was rerouted after a suspected bomb threat. The office of Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said fighter jets intercepted the plane and escorted it to the Evreux airbase, west of Paris, after the pilot did not cooperate with authorities as expected; no reason was given for this. France's air force said it scrambled military aircraft "as soon as the threat was reported", and Lecornu's office said a bomb squad was in place at the base and that 151 passengers and six crew were moved to safety.

Spanish police said three emailed threats arrived within 20 minutes, involving two Air Europa departures from Madrid to Paris and four inbound Iberia flights from Rome and Milan. Several aircraft were halted or returned to their stands in Madrid while passengers disembarked for inspections. In the Czech Republic, four aircraft heading to Prague were inspected by pyrotechnic teams with negative results.

Other incidents included a Romanian intelligence report of threats to a KLM flight to Tel Aviv with a layover in Bucharest and to a Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest; a LOT Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw to Brussels that landed at Zaventem airport after an onboard inspection found nothing suspicious; a Wizz Air flight from Milan to Warsaw diverted to Vienna; and a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome escorted to the Italian capital by a fighter jet and checked by bomb disposal experts. A Helsinki–Vienna flight operated by Jettime also landed safely in the Austrian capital.

Who is behind the threats?

No country has attributed blame for the threats. The European Union said it was not yet clear whether the hoax alerts were connected and that it was following events closely with national authorities. EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said it was "too early to draw conclusions on whether the reported incidents are linked".

UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the events as malicious hoax threats affecting flights across Europe. An aviation security professor at Coventry University, Philip Baum, said the number of aircraft forced to divert or land was unusual, and that what happened this week appeared coordinated to some extent.

What this means for travellers

Passengers flying to, from or within Bulgaria and other affected countries should expect possible diversions, delays and aircraft inspections while authorities assess specific threats. Travellers on routes through Sofia and Plovdiv can check with their airline whether their flight is operating normally after the resumption of airport operations.

Investigations are continuing in several countries. In the Czech Republic, the National Centre against Terrorism, Extremism and Cybercrime has taken over the probe and said no further information could be provided.