Bomb Threats Disrupt European Flights, One Diverted to Bucharest

By איריס ליפשיץ-קליגר

Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba

CenterNeutral tone

Hebrew · 1 newsroom

At least 25 flights across Europe received bomb threats on Thursday, with one KLM flight to Israel diverted to Bucharest. An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was escorted by fighter jets to a French military base due to a bomb threat, where passengers were eventually cleared after security checks. Other flights across multiple European countries also experienced diversions and security alerts, though many landed safely.

The story in 6 lines · by baba

At least 25 flights across Europe received bomb threats on Thursday.
A KLM flight bound for Israel was diverted to Bucharest, Romania.
An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was escorted by fighter jets to a French military base.
Passengers on the Aer Lingus flight underwent security checks with bomb-sniffing dogs.
The pilot of the Aer Lingus flight reportedly initially refused to land at the military base.
Investigations have been opened into at least one pilot involved in the incidents.

Bomb Threats Disrupt European Flights, One Diverted to Bucharest — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

At least 25 flights across Europe received bomb threats on Thursday, with one KLM flight bound for Israel being diverted to Bucharest, Romania. The Romanian Intelligence Service confirmed the diversion, though KLM has not officially commented. The incident highlights a wave of security alerts that affected air travel across the continent.

One affected flight, Aer Lingus EI402 from Dublin to Rome, was escorted by fighter jets and diverted to a French Air Force base in Normandy. Sigal, an Israeli passenger on the flight, described the experience as "frightening" but praised the French emergency response. She recounted how the pilot initially cited a technical issue before a flight attendant revealed the bomb threat. Passengers were kept on the plane for two hours after landing before being allowed to exit and undergo security checks with bomb-sniffing dogs.

Aer Lingus confirmed the flight landed safely as a precautionary measure. French authorities stated that 151 passengers and six crew members were safely transferred. The flight's pilot reportedly initially refused to land at the military base, preferring a civilian airport, which led to the military escort. An investigation into the pilot has been opened.

Similar security alerts occurred on other flights, including a LOT Polish Airlines flight to Brussels which landed safely despite a threat, and another LOT flight to Paris that was held on the tarmac in Warsaw. Ryanair and Wizz Air flights also experienced diversions and security checks in various European countries, including Bulgaria, Austria, and the Czech Republic. While many threats led to diversions and thorough security sweeps, some flights, like several Finnair and Ryanair services, landed as scheduled despite the alerts.