On 5 November 2026, multiple bomb threats were reported against civilian passenger flights across European airspace, causing diversions and military escorts but no discovery of explosives. At least three intra-European flights involving Italy were forced to land at alternate airports, and additional flights to Bulgaria, Romania, and other European countries received bomb threats. The incidents are part of a broader pattern of bomb threats against aviation and a cruise ship in Europe during the same week. EU officials and cyber‑aviation experts note that these false threats may be part of low‑cost hybrid disruption tactics coinciding with cyberattacks on supermarket cooling systems across Europe.

One Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to the French Air Force base at Evreux, where approximately 160 passengers were reported safe and explosive ordnance disposal teams deployed, according to the French government and the office of the French Prime Minister. A Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome was escorted by Italian fighter jets to the Rome military airfield at Fiumicino, as confirmed by a spokesman for Rome airports to AFP. A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Warsaw was diverted to Vienna, according to the Hungarian airline. A LOT Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw to Brussels continued to its scheduled destination after a bomb threat and landed safely; subsequent checks found no dangerous or suspicious items.

Three Ryanair aircraft en route to Bulgaria received bomb threats, according to Bulgarian state news agency BTA citing the Ministry of Transport in Sofia: one London‑origin flight was diverted to Plovdiv Airport, while two other flights from Copenhagen and Madrid landed as planned in Sofia. In neighboring Romania, a Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest received a bomb threat but landed safely and on schedule in Bucharest; the Romanian domestic intelligence service SRI is reported to be examining the aircraft, according to Mediafax. Similar bomb‑threat incidents affecting air traffic were also reported in Denmark, Spain, and the Czech Republic. For at least seven flights and one cruise ship, bomb threats had already been received on Tuesday of the same week, causing disturbances at multiple European airports, though no explosive devices were found.

EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas publicly condemned the threats against civil aviation, stating that threats against civilians are unacceptable and that the European Commission is in contact with affected states. He emphasized that it is too early to conclude whether the incidents are linked, noting that national investigations are ongoing, and confirmed that the EU has activated an information‑sharing mechanism in the field of aviation security. No state has officially blamed any specific actor, but the threats occur against a backdrop of European officials accusing Russia and Iran of hybrid attacks and sabotage; Moscow and Tehran deny running such campaigns. Eliran Almog, head of the aviation‑focused cybersecurity firm Cyviation, highlighted that the aviation bomb threats coincide in time with cyberattacks targeting supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe, arguing that multiple essential services are experiencing disruptions that impose significant costs and can erode public trust. Experts cited in the report assess that staged, false bomb threats may fit a pattern of inexpensive but credible disruption operations consistent with hybrid‑warfare tactics.

On 5 November 2026, multiple bomb threats were reported against civilian passenger flights across European airspace, causing diversions and military escorts but no discovery of explosives. At least three intra-European flights involving Italy were forced to land at alternate airports, and additional flights to Bulgaria, Romania, and other European countries received bomb threats. The incidents are part of a broader pattern of bomb threats against aviation and a cruise ship in Europe during the same week. EU officials and cyber‑aviation experts note that these false threats may be part of low‑cost hybrid disruption tactics coinciding with cyberattacks on supermarket cooling systems across Europe.

One Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to the French Air Force base at Evreux, where approximately 160 passengers were reported safe and explosive ordnance disposal teams deployed, according to the French government and the office of the French Prime Minister. A Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome was escorted by Italian fighter jets to the Rome military airfield at Fiumicino, as confirmed by a spokesman for Rome airports to AFP. A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Warsaw was diverted to Vienna, according to the Hungarian airline. A LOT Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw to Brussels continued to its scheduled destination after a bomb threat and landed safely; subsequent checks found no dangerous or suspicious items.

Three Ryanair aircraft en route to Bulgaria received bomb threats, according to Bulgarian state news agency BTA citing the Ministry of Transport in Sofia: one London‑origin flight was diverted to Plovdiv Airport, while two other flights from Copenhagen and Madrid landed as planned in Sofia. In neighboring Romania, a Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest received a bomb threat but landed safely and on schedule in Bucharest; the Romanian domestic intelligence service SRI is reported to be examining the aircraft, according to Mediafax. Similar bomb‑threat incidents affecting air traffic were also reported in Denmark, Spain, and the Czech Republic. For at least seven flights and one cruise ship, bomb threats had already been received on Tuesday of the same week, causing disturbances at multiple European airports, though no explosive devices were found.

EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas publicly condemned the threats against civil aviation, stating that threats against civilians are unacceptable and that the European Commission is in contact with affected states. He emphasized that it is too early to conclude whether the incidents are linked, noting that national investigations are ongoing, and confirmed that the EU has activated an information‑sharing mechanism in the field of aviation security. No state has officially blamed any specific actor, but the threats occur against a backdrop of European officials accusing Russia and Iran of hybrid attacks and sabotage; Moscow and Tehran deny running such campaigns. Eliran Almog, head of the aviation‑focused cybersecurity firm Cyviation, highlighted that the aviation bomb threats coincide in time with cyberattacks targeting supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe, arguing that multiple essential services are experiencing disruptions that impose significant costs and can erode public trust. Experts cited in the report assess that staged, false bomb threats may fit a pattern of inexpensive but credible disruption operations consistent with hybrid‑warfare tactics.