Dozens of European flights have been disrupted this week following a string of bomb threats sent to various airports. The alerts have caused numerous diversions and emergency landings, with nearly 30 flights affected by the end of Thursday.
In response to the threats, several countries, including France, deployed their air forces to escort civilian aircraft. Fighter jets intercepted planes mid-flight, and some flights were forced to make unplanned landings. Security inspections have revealed no explosives, indicating that the alerts were hoaxes.
The threats targeted multiple locations, including airports in Rome, Madrid, and Warsaw. On Friday, a new wave of threats targeted four arriving and five departing flights at Prague airport, as well as two flights to Sofia and one flight to Rome. While no clear pattern has emerged among the targets, a significant number of the affected flights either departed from or were bound for Italy.
The unusual spate of threats has broadened beyond aviation to include media organizations. Two broadcasters received security threats on Friday, forcing the evacuation of a number of newsrooms. Officials and experts stated that no one has claimed responsibility for the coordinated operation.