Four new bomb threats targeted aircraft flying over French territory on Friday morning. All four planes were forced to change their destinations and landed safely. Three touched down at Paris-Orly airport and the fourth in Bordeaux . The Prime Minister's office confirmed that bomb disposal experts had been mobilized to inspect the aircraft and announced that an investigation was underway to identify the perpetrators of these threats, which have been increasing in European airspace for several days.
Three planes at Orly, a fourth at Bordeaux: bomb disposal experts mobilized
The four aircraft were in French airspace when they were targeted by bomb threats. Authorities arranged for them to land to allow specialist teams to conduct safety checks.
Matignon stated that the planes landed "without incident" and that bomb disposal experts were "conducting safety inspections ." The airlines involved, flight numbers, and the number of passengers on board were not disclosed.
The Prime Minister 's office also confirmed the opening of investigations: "An investigation is underway to determine the origin of these alerts, which affect all of Europe ." Authorities are particularly focused on identifying the individuals who made the reports and establishing whether the various threats are linked.
The day before, an Airbus carrying 157 people had been diverted to a French military base
These four new alerts were reported less than 24 hours after an Aer Lingus Airbus A320 was urgently diverted to the military airbase in Évreux , in the Eure region.
On Thursday morning, flight EI402, en route from Dublin to Rome , was targeted by a bomb threat while crossing French airspace. The aircraft was carrying 151 passengers and six crew members. French fighter jets were scrambled to escort the plane until it landed at the military base.
The 157 occupants were evacuated and taken to safety while bomb disposal experts inspected the aircraft and luggage. No explosives were found. The Évreux public prosecutor's office has also opened a separate investigation into the circumstances of the diversion, as the captain had initially refused, according to the prosecutor, to return to the military base designated by the French authorities.
Dozens of aircraft have been targeted in Europe since the beginning of the week.
Alerts have multiplied in several European countries. Italy, Bulgaria, Poland, Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic have been particularly affected by threats targeting commercial flights.
On Friday, nine flights to and from Prague were targeted by bomb threats. Czech police launched inspections and increased security measures at Václav Havel Airport.
In Portugal , a Ryanair plane scheduled to fly from Lisbon to Rome was also alerted. Police inspected the aircraft, passengers, and their luggage, but found no explosive devices or suspicious objects.
A Wizz Air flight from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice, where passengers were evacuated. In Hungary , fighter jets were scrambled to escort three airliners that had received threats while flying through the country's airspace.
The previous day, several aircraft had already required the intervention of European air forces. In Bulgaria , MiG-29 fighter jets had notably been scrambled to intercept three Ryanair planes.
Messages claiming responsibility, but no one identified as the person in charge
Some alerts were sent by email to airlines and airport operators. Messages addressed to the airports in Rome and Sofia were sent on behalf of the "male state fighters ," a name that could refer to a Russian ultranationalist movement.
The authenticity of these claims has not been established. At this stage, no publicly available evidence allows the threats to be attributed to this movement, another group, or a state.
Investigators are trying to determine whether this surge in alerts corresponds to a coordinated operation or several separate initiatives. Since the beginning of the week, the threats have caused diversions, passenger evacuations, delays, and the deployment of military aircraft in several countries.
Eurocontrol, the European air traffic control agency, reported that 14 flights were targeted by threats on Thursday, out of nearly 26.300 flights that took place in European airspace that day. No explosive devices were found during the inspections completed on the aircraft in question.
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