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Bomb threats disrupt flights across Europe for the second time. Here’s what we know

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The disruptions on Thursday affected at least 27 flights operating through major hubs like London, Dublin, and Helsinki, triggering diversions across multiple countries. An Aer Lingus flight traveling from Dublin to Rome was forced down in Normandy, while Finnair and LOT planes underwent emergency security sweeps. European Union Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas engaged cross-border aviation security protocols to address the escalating threats. These widespread disruptions follow an earlier incident on Tuesday where seven European passenger planes were targeted by similar malicious hoaxes.

Key points

  • European Union officials have activated specialized aviation security information-sharing…: European Union officials have activated specialized aviation security information-sharing mechanisms to coordinate regional responses to the threats.
  • Airlines including LOT, Finnair, and Wizz Air have seen flights cleared following compreh…: Airlines including LOT, Finnair, and Wizz Air have seen flights cleared following comprehensive security inspections by authorities.
  • United States and European transport officials are closely coordinating monitoring effort…: United States and European transport officials are closely coordinating monitoring efforts to determine whether the repeated hoaxes are interconnected.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Flights across Europe were targeted by "hoax" bomb threats on Thursday for the second time this week, disrupting air travel across London, Dublin, and Helsinki, among others.

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 affected.

It comes after seven passenger planes across Europe, two departing from the U.K., were targeted by suspected bomb threats on Tuesday and were described as "malicious hoax threats" by the U.K. government.

Finnair said two of its flights — one from Helsinki to Rome with 144 passengers and 7 crew members and another from Helsinki to Vienna with 177 passengers and six crew members — received "unfounded or hoax" bomb threats on Thursday, with both flights landing safely and customers disembarking the aircraft.

Here's what we know so far

Local authorities in Rome and Vienna inspected the two flights and didn't find anything out of the ordinary.

"Unfortunately, air traffic is sometimes…

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