Hoax Bomb Threats Disrupt Flights Across Europe for Second Time in a Week

Air travel across Europe was disrupted on Thursday by a wave of bomb threats that airlines and officials described as hoaxes, the second such episode this week. Flights connected to London, Dublin and Helsinki were among those affected.

At least 27 different flights were impacted, according to Reuters, with some forced to land unexpectedly and others escorted by fighter jets. Aer Lingus, Finnair, Wizz Air and Polish airline LOT confirmed to CNBC that some of their flights were caught up in the threats.

The disruption came two days after seven passenger planes across Europe, two of them departing from the United Kingdom, were targeted by suspected bomb threats that the U.K. government described as "malicious hoax threats."

Finnair said two of its flights received what it called "unfounded or hoax" bomb threats on Thursday: a Helsinki to Rome service carrying 144 passengers and seven crew members, and a Helsinki to Vienna flight with 177 passengers and six crew members. Both aircraft landed safely and customers disembarked, and local authorities in Rome and Vienna inspected the planes and found nothing out of the ordinary.

"Unfortunately, air traffic is sometimes subject to threats, as we have seen this week, when other airlines in Europe have also faced hoax bomb threats," Finnair said in a statement. "Threats are almost always unfounded."

Hungarian budget carrier Wizz Air told CNBC that its flight from Milan's Malpensa Airport to Bucharest's Otopeni Airport, along with another flight to Warsaw, was subject to bomb threats on Thursday. The Bucharest-bound plane was approaching its final destination and landed safely when the threat was reported at Otopeni, with security checks subsequently clearing the aircraft, while the Warsaw flight was diverted. "Wizz Air is not the only airline targeted, with other carriers also experiencing threats resulting in flight diversions and security checks," the airline said.

Irish airline Aer Lingus diverted its Dublin to Rome flight to Normandy on Thursday morning. Polish airline LOT said two of its flights from Warsaw received security threats, and both were cleared following security inspections.

Air France chief executive Ben Smith said none of his airline's flights were affected, but described the coordinated threats as unprecedented. "It's unfortunate, and we hope it won't give consumers any reason to slow down or reduce their travel plans," he said.

U.S. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Thursday that the incidents appeared to be "false attacks." He said the United States was working with European partners to track the situation, adding: "We take safety very seriously, which is why, if you see any issue in the airspace or threats in the airspace, we shut it down."

Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the European Union's commissioner for sustainable transport and tourism, cautioned in a post on X that it is "too early to draw conclusions on whether the reported incidents are linked," adding that "the EU-level information-sharing mechanism has been activated related to aviation security."