Third Wave of Hoax Bomb Threats Hits European Flights as Jets Scramble

A third wave of hoax bomb threats swept across Europe on Friday, November 6, 2026, scrambling fighter jets, diverting passenger planes and forcing newsrooms to evacuate, in the worst day yet of a week of fake threats shaking European aviation. No explosives were found on any aircraft and no one was injured, but their scale and similarity have convinced officials in several countries that the campaign is deliberate and designed to spread fear.

Key Points

• Hungarian fighter jets escorted three passenger planes through Hungarian airspace within an hour, and Italian, French and Bulgarian jets were also scrambled.
• Czech police registered threats against nine Prague flights, and a Wizz Air flight from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice.
• The French prime minister's office reported four new threats against aircraft flying over French territory, all of which landed safely at Paris Orly.
• The threats widened to newsrooms: Ireland's RTE and Bulgaria's Nova TV were evacuated after emailed threats, and Sky, Virgin Media, Newstalk and the Irish Independent also received threats.
• No explosives have been found on any plane and no one has been injured, but no government has yet assigned blame.

What Happened

Friday's wave began in the morning and spread rapidly across the continent. Hungarian fighter jets were scrambled to escort three passenger planes through Hungarian airspace within an hour: flights from Brussels to Sofia, from Prague to Bucharest and from Prague to Cyprus. Italian, French and Bulgarian jets were also sent up to meet threatened aircraft.

In France, the prime minister's office reported four new threats against aircraft flying over French territory. All four planes landed safely at Paris Orly, where security teams searched them and found nothing. In the Czech Republic, police registered threats against nine Prague flights, and a Wizz Air flight from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice. Danish police investigated threats at Copenhagen airport, and a Ryanair Rome-to-Lisbon flight prompted a security operation on landing.

Each incident triggers the same costly routine: fighter escort, priority landing, a full search of the aircraft and its luggage, and hours of delay for hundreds of passengers. Eurocontrol, the European air traffic body, logged 14 threatened flights on Thursday and seven on Tuesday, with Thursday's wave forcing at least 15 flights to divert or make emergency landings.

Background: Two Earlier Waves This Week

Friday was the third such incident in a week. The first wave struck on Tuesday, November 3, when bomb threats disrupted flights across Europe as at least six aircraft were searched and diverted, with Ryanair flights searched at Rome Fiumicino and a LOT flight from London Heathrow to Warsaw diverted to Warsaw-Modlin. No explosives were found, and at the time authorities had not established whether the threats were connected.

The second wave followed on Thursday, November 5, hitting at least 12 European flights. An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to an airbase west of Paris, Bulgaria reported three emergency landings, and a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Rome was escorted by Italian fighter jets. Three emailed threats in under 20 minutes hit Air Europa and Iberia flights at Madrid. Again, no explosives were found. Friday's wave was larger and broader, hitting more countries and, for the first time, targeting news organisations directly.

Hoax Bomb Threats Hit European Flights for a Third Time

What has alarmed officials most is not any single threat but the pattern. The messages arrive by email, use similar wording and target flights across many countries on the same day. Spain's foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, said the scale and similarity of the threats suggested a coordinated campaign. Security experts have described the operation as possible hybrid aggression or psychological warfare — an attempt to disrupt daily life, drain security resources and sow anxiety without firing a shot or planting a bomb.

Messages seen by AFP claimed to be from "fighters of the Male State", also rendered as the "Men's State". The newsroom threats, including those that forced the evacuation of RTE in Ireland and Nova TV in Bulgaria, were signed by a purported sender named Mikhail Andropov. Neither name has been verified, and no group has credibly claimed responsibility. The European Union has said it is not yet clear whether the hoax alerts are connected, even as the evidence of coordination mounts, and no formal attribution has been made.

Reactions and Quotes

Spain's foreign minister pointed to the scale and similarity of the threats as evidence of a coordinated campaign, a view echoed by security experts who have raised the possibility of hybrid aggression or psychological warfare. The assessment reflects a growing consensus among European officials that the threats are not the work of isolated pranksters.

Airlines and airports have responded with the standard security playbook: divert or escort the threatened aircraft, search it thoroughly and keep passengers informed. Passengers on the affected flights faced hours of delay, but none was hurt. Newsrooms that received threats evacuated their buildings and continued broadcasting from backup locations, and none reported injuries.

Why It Matters

The campaign matters because it works even when every threat is a hoax. Each alert forces a fighter jet into the air, closes runways, delays hundreds of passengers and ties up police and bomb squads for hours. Repeated often enough, the tactic erodes confidence in air travel and strains military and police resources.

Targeting the media alongside aviation suggests the campaign aims at public confidence itself, not just transport.

What Happens Next

European police and intelligence services are now investigating the threats as a linked campaign, tracing the emails and comparing the wording, timing and targets across the three waves. Eurocontrol and national aviation authorities are reviewing how the alerts are handled, and airlines are bracing for a possible fourth wave. Officials have stressed that every threat is treated as real until proven otherwise, so further alerts will bring further diversions, escorts and delays.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many flights were targeted in the third wave?
Friday's wave added at least nine threatened Prague flights, four threats over French territory, three Hungarian-escorted flights and others in Denmark and Italy, on top of 14 flights on Thursday and seven on Tuesday. The full Friday count was still being compiled.

Were any explosives found?
No. No explosives have been found on any aircraft in any of the three waves, and no one has been injured. Every threatened aircraft was searched after landing.

Which newsrooms were evacuated?
Ireland's RTE and Bulgaria's Nova TV were evacuated after emailed threats. Sky, Virgin Media, Newstalk and the Irish Independent also received threats.

Who is behind the threats?
No government has assigned blame. Messages claimed to be from "fighters of the Male State", and newsroom threats were signed by a purported sender named Mikhail Andropov, but neither has been verified.

Is it safe to fly in Europe?
Every threat is treated as real and every threatened aircraft is searched before it flies again. Flights continue, but passengers should expect delays if a new wave arrives.