Bomb hoaxes disrupt Rome flights; European aviation security tested

An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin bound for Rome was diverted to a French military airbase on Thursday morning after a bomb threat, according to France 24. Deutsche Welle reported that at least a dozen flights across Europe were either diverted or escorted by military aircraft following similar alerts. The threats, according to AFP, claimed to originate from a far-right Russian group calling itself the "Male State", though no explosives were discovered on any aircraft.

The disruption extended to Italian airspace: Finnair reported a false alert on a flight from Helsinki to Rome, and Wizz Air diverted a Milan-to-Warsaw service to Vienna after receiving a threat on Thursday, The Local Italy reported. The Guardian noted that over 30 European flights have been targeted this week, with the EU transport commissioner saying it remained unclear whether the incidents were coordinated.

The New York Times reported that passengers aboard affected flights recounted landings at military bases, security checks, and significant travel delays. Deutsche Welle noted that flights targeted included two services to Warsaw, a Ryanair flight from London to Spain, and routes to Sofia and Israel. The timing and messaging of the threats—attributed by state media to a Russian far-right entity—suggest a pattern of disruption rather than credible security risk, though European aviation authorities have not yet ruled out further incidents.