Several flights across Europe were forced to change their routes and make emergency landings on Thursday following bomb threats, triggering security checks at airports in multiple countries. Authorities confirmed that all affected aircraft landed safely, with no injuries reported.
Among the affected flights was Finnair Flight 1761, travelling from Helsinki to Rome. The aircraft was reportedly targeted by a bomb threat but completed its journey and landed safely in the Italian capital. According to Finnish broadcaster Yle, subsequent inspections found nothing suspicious on board.
Three Ryanair flights heading to Sofia, Bulgaria, were also disrupted by similar threats. Two aircraft, departing from Copenhagen and Madrid, landed safely at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport, airport officials confirmed.
The third Ryanair flight, which had departed from London’s Stansted Airport, was redirected to Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second-largest city. Plovdiv Airport CEO Krassimir Peshev confirmed that the aircraft landed without incident.
In a separate incident, an Aer Lingus flight travelling from Dublin, Ireland, to Rome was diverted to a military air base in Normandy, western France. The French prime minister’s office confirmed that the aircraft landed safely at the military facility in Evreux.
All 151 passengers and six crew members aboard the aircraft were reported safe. Military bomb disposal specialists began examining the plane following its arrival. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office said officials were monitoring developments closely, although further details were not immediately available.
Flight-tracking data indicated that the Dublin-Rome aircraft had been approaching Paris before abruptly changing course. It reportedly made several loops in the area before proceeding towards Evreux.
Thursday’s incidents followed a series of suspected hoax bomb threats targeting commercial aircraft across Europe in recent days. Flights operated by LOT Polish Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air and Ryanair were among those affected, prompting precautionary inspections, route changes and additional security measures.
In one earlier incident, an aircraft travelling towards Bulgaria was diverted to Hungary after receiving a bomb threat while airborne. The situation ended without injuries.
Although false bomb alerts involving commercial aviation are not unprecedented, the latest incidents have raised renewed concerns about aviation security amid growing geopolitical uncertainty across Europe.
Authorities have also been increasingly alert to a wider range of potential hybrid threats, including drone incursions, disruptions to critical infrastructure and unexplained emergency alerts. These developments have added to concerns about coordinated attempts to create disruption and uncertainty.
Investigations into the latest aviation threats are ongoing, while security agencies continue to assess the incidents and their potential implications for European air travel.
Airlines received 69 hoax bomb threats this year till July 20, the government said on Thursday.
According to data from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), airlines received 881 hoax bomb threats from 2022 to July 20, 2025.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said BCAS has mandated robust protocols for handling such threats in coordination with law enforcement agencies, central security agencies, CISF, and stakeholders, resulting in minimal impact on flight operations.
A total of 69 hoax bomb threats have been received by airlines this year as of July 20, 2025, and the count was 728 in 2024.
There were 71 and 13 hoax bomb threats in 2023 and 2022, respectively, according to the data shared in the written reply.