A fresh wave of hoax bomb threats hit European passenger flights for the third time in a week, forcing unplanned landings and, in some cases, fighter escorts for civilian aircraft, according to Dawn / agencies.

On Thursday, alerts targeted dozens of flights from Ireland to Bulgaria. Italian, French and Bulgarian fighters scrambled; all threatened planes landed safely and no explosives were found. Eurocontrol said the share of daily traffic affected stayed below 0.05%.

In Spain, the Guardia Civil received three emails in under 20 minutes involving Air Europa and Iberia flights; several aircraft were returned to stands for checks. In Warsaw a LOT flight to Paris was stopped on the taxiway, and a Wizz Air Milan–Warsaw service diverted to Vienna.

In Copenhagen two threatened planes landed as scheduled and were searched by police with “no danger.” In Czechia, EasyJet, Ryanair and Sky Express flights to Prague landed safely after anonymous emails. Some messages to Sofia and Rome airports carried misogynistic text signed by so-called “Male State fighters.”

On Friday alerts continued toward Lisbon, Rome, Prague and Sofia; newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria also reported threats. European ministers speak of “hybrid aggression” and “psychological warfare,” and intelligence services are examining a possible Russian track without official attribution.

No country has publicly named a confirmed perpetrator. Security experts note the pattern of a coordinated campaign but do not rule out copycats. Moscow denies involvement.

Image: EasyJet aircraft at an airport (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0).

Sources consulted: New wave of bomb threats hits passenger flights across Europe — Dawn.