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An Aer Lingus Airbus A320 passenger plane is parked at Évreux Air Base in France on Nov. 5, 2026. The Dublin-to-Rome flight was diverted to France following a bomb threat. /EPA-Yonhap

A series of hoax bomb threats targeting commercial passenger aircraft across Europe has disrupted dozens of flights.

According to Reuters on Thursday, nearly 30 flights were directly affected by bomb threats that day. Similar threats had also been reported against seven passenger flights and a cruise ship on Tuesday. 

No government or organization has officially identified those responsible for the threats. While security experts have not ruled out personal grievances or copycat attacks, they say there are signs of a more sophisticated hybrid operation.

Eric Schouten, head of aviation security firm Dyami, said it was difficult to prove whether a particular country was behind such acts of sabotage, but noted that some aspects were consistent with the typical methods used in hybrid warfare.

European countries are closely monitoring the recent series of incidents. Germany, Denmark, Romania and Poland, which have previously been affected by similar attacks, have accused Russia of involvement. Britain has also raised concerns about possible Iranian involvement in a recent suspected plot targeting a U.S. military base.

Both Russia and Iran have denied the allegations.

Emails warning that aircraft would explode within 60 minutes were sent to Rome's Fiumicino Airport and Milan Malpensa Airport. The sender claimed to represent Male State, a far-right group banned from operating in Russia. However, the group's founder, Vladislav Pozdnyakov, said the organization had already disbanded and denied any involvement in the incidents.

Flight operations were also disrupted in France, Bulgaria, Spain and Poland.

In France, fighter jets were scrambled to intercept an Aer Lingus passenger plane traveling from Dublin to Rome after its pilot failed to comply with instructions from air traffic authorities. The aircraft was subsequently escorted to Évreux Air Base. The French prime minister's office did not explain why the pilot had failed to cooperate with the authorities.

In Bulgaria, air force fighter jets escorted three passenger aircraft to the ground. A Ryanair flight traveling from London to Sofia was diverted to Plovdiv.

A KLM flight from London traveling via Bucharest, Romania, also received a bomb threat.

In Madrid, Spain, authorities received three bomb threat emails involving six flights within 20 minutes. In Warsaw, Poland, a Paris-bound aircraft was stopped while taxiing for takeoff, and passengers were transferred to another plane.

Experts warned that the incidents could be intended not merely to disrupt operations but also to test how critical infrastructure responds to security threats.

Eliran Almog, CEO of aviation cybersecurity firm Cyviation, noted that the aviation threats had occurred around the same time as cyberattacks targeting supermarket refrigeration systems across Europe and French blood banks.

He warned that the incidents could be part of an effort to disrupt essential services and cause widespread confusion.

                                                                                                           Lee Jeong-eun