European officials report 14 new bomb threats to flights and broadcasters

European air traffic officials confirmed a new series of bomb threats against commercial flights on Friday, following a week of disruptions that have forced diversions and inspections across the continent. The alerts came as authorities continued to monitor security at airports and media centers in several countries.

The European air traffic authority, Eurocontrol, stated it was aware of 14 bomb threats on Thursday. Those incidents represented 0.05 percent of the nearly 26,300 flights that operated on the European network that day. The agency reported seven similar threats on Tuesday. Officials noted that the threats have caused minimal disruption to aviation flows, though they require active monitoring by airlines and navigation providers.

In Hungary, Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said military fighter jets escorted three passenger planes on Friday. The jets responded to threats against flights from Brussels to Sofia, Prague to Cyprus, and Prague to Romania. All three aircraft crossed Hungarian airspace within one hour of receiving the alerts. In France, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's office announced that four new threats were made against aircraft flying over French territory on Friday. Those planes landed safely at Paris Orly Airport, where bomb disposal experts conducted inspections.

Other affected routes included a Tarom flight from Prague to Bucharest and a Ryanair service from Lisbon to Rome. A WizzAir flight from Prague to Rome diverted to Venice after an alert, and passengers were evacuated upon landing. Security teams found no explosives during inspections at the affected sites. At Prague's Vaclav Havel Airport, spokesperson Denisa Hejtmankova said nine flights were threatened, including arrivals from Denmark, Spain, and Britain, and departures to the Netherlands, Cyprus, Romania, Italy, and Britain. Czech police stated that security measures had a minimal impact on normal operations.

Danish police reported that they went to Copenhagen Airport on Friday for a second consecutive day as a precautionary measure. They assessed that there was no danger to passengers or others at the facility. In Ireland, national broadcaster RTE evacuated its Dublin headquarters on Friday after a bomb threat. Live broadcasts were replaced with pre-recorded programs until police and sniffer dogs cleared the building. Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said the threats illustrate how simple it is to cause disruption through unconventional activities. He confirmed a major security operation would be in place next week for European Political Community and EU leader meetings in Dublin.

UK-based broadcaster Sky also received a security threat. The company said it is working with authorities to keep staff and operations secure, and Sky News remained on air. Authorities have not attributed the wave of threats to a specific group or state actor. An email sent to airport authorities in Rome on Thursday purported to come from an anti-feminist group targeting a feminist regime. A similar threat was received by another European airport, but it is unclear if the sender was the same. Paul Reuter, vice president of the European Cockpit Association, called the use of civil aviation for geopolitical disruption totally unacceptable. He noted that pilots prepare for such events by reviewing procedures and identifying diversion airports.