Bomb threats force flight diversions across Europe for second wave

Thursday's disruption followed an earlier wave of bomb threats against European passenger flights. About 10 flights were targeted on Tuesday, November 3, according to World News CNA.

The alerts forced airlines and authorities to respond with searches, diversions and military escorts. The Hindu reported that this week's incidents included an aircraft escorted by the Italian air force until landing.

On Thursday, November 5, a passenger aircraft flying from Dublin to Rome was diverted to a French air force base, NBC News reported. DER SPIEGEL identified it as an Aer Lingus jet carrying more than 150 people, with French explosives experts deployed.

The aircraft landed safely at Evreux in Normandy, according to South China Morning Post, citing the French prime minister's office. Most coverage described the route as Dublin to Rome; Business Insider instead described it as Rome to Dublin.

Further alerts affected a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome and a Wizz Air flight from Milan to Warsaw. The Wizz Air aircraft diverted to Vienna, Le Monde reported. The Local described both alerts as false, citing the airlines.

The disruption spread beyond those routes. Global News reported confirmed threats against more than a dozen flights from cities including Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, Madrid, Milan and Warsaw. Several threats arrived within about an hour, according to statements cited by ABCNews.com.

Military aircraft were also involved. The Local reported that Italian, French and Bulgarian fighter jets scrambled on Thursday as authorities and airlines dealt with another round of hoax alerts.

The published totals differ. France24 reported at least 27 affected flights across the week, while CNBC International described dozens reporting threats on Thursday alone. Those figures do not provide a single settled count for the disruption.

Britain's Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the warnings as "malicious hoax threats," according to NDTV News. Not every alert caused operational disruption: Coventry Telegraph reported that threats received by Birmingham Airport were assessed as not credible and operations continued without disruption.

The central unresolved issues are who sent the threats and whether the incidents were coordinated. ANSA reported threats by email and the possibility of coordination, but the supplied coverage does not establish responsibility or a common source. Il Post described threatening emails received at Rome and Milan airports as very generic and conspiratorial, making their seriousness difficult to assess.