Bomb Threats Disrupt European Flights for Third Day This Week, Hitting Ryanair, Wizz Air and Four Aircraft Over France

Bomb threats have disrupted European aviation on three of the five days this week, and on two days in a row. Yesterday saw at least 25 disruptions, with several aircraft diverted, some under military jet escort and one landing at a military base.

An anonymous phone call to the FCO control tower claimed an explosive device was aboard a Ryanair jet. The aircraft departed FCO a few minutes late at 5:48 AM local time and landed 32 minutes late at 8:27 AM local time; it was not diverted. After it landed safely, authorities investigated but have not said that explosives were found. Simple Flying has contacted Ryanair for comment.

The French Prime Minister's office confirmed bomb threats against four aircraft flying over French territory. All have landed safely, and security services are investigating the possible presence of explosive devices and the broader campaign of disruption. A Wizz Air flight from Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG) to FCO was also disrupted and diverted to Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE).

The Irish Government warned that the threats were a "likely coordinated campaign", in a statement issued after bomb threats were also made against Irish media organizations, The Guardian reports. It said hoax threats against the media and transport infrastructure cause "fear, distress, and disruption" with no positive purpose, while acknowledging it is not known whether a centralized group or separate individuals are behind them. The Gardaí are working with the Defence Force and cyber and aviation authorities, as well as counterparts in other affected European countries.

Former air traffic controller Michele Robson told Sky News that controllers alert a supervisor after a threat, and government agencies and the military then assess its credibility and order action accordingly. She said that grounding and diverting aircraft suggests the threats were judged highly credible. After landing, passengers and crew are taken off the aircraft and may be questioned while bomb experts and dogs search it.

A threat phoned in to a control tower sets a fixed chain in motion: the controller informs a supervisor, government agencies and the military judge credibility, and the aircraft is then grounded or diverted if the threat is rated credible. The Ryanair flight from FCO shows the low end of that chain, a short delay and no diversion. The Wizz Air flight diverted to Venice and the aircraft handled under military escort show the high end, where one call consumes airspace, military assets and airport capacity at an unplanned airport.

The cost of that response does not depend on whether a device exists. Landing, evacuating and searching an aircraft with bomb experts and dogs takes the same time and resources for a hoax as for a real device, and the burden falls on the operator, the diversion airport and the passengers. When many threats arrive within days, as in at least 25 disruptions yesterday, the effect is cumulative across several carriers and countries rather than confined to one flight.

The next point to settle is attribution. The Irish Government has said it is not known whether a centralized group or separate individuals are behind the threats, and French security services are still investigating both the possible presence of devices and the wider campaign. Findings on that question, together with any statement from Ryanair, would show whether authorities treat this as one coordinated effort or a run of unrelated hoaxes.