Key facts
- At least 18 flights to or from nine European countries were affected on November 6; searches found no explosive devices.
- Hungary's defense minister, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, said fighter jets were scrambled three times to escort civilian flights.
- The affected flights were 0.0674% of the 26,709 flights Eurocontrol said were scheduled in Europe on Friday.
- Ireland's taoiseach, Micheál Martin, said threats against media organizations were an effort to sow fear and anxiety.
- Investigators said there was no evidence the hoaxes were orchestrated by a hostile terror group or state actor such as Russia or Iran.
- Spain's foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, said the pattern suggested an attempt at hybrid aggression and psychological warfare.
A new wave of bomb threats disrupted air traffic across Europe on November 6, 2026, affecting at least 18 flights to or from Bulgaria, Czechia, France, Italy, Hungary, Cyprus, Romania, the UK and Portugal. The affected planes landed safely and searches revealed no explosive devices, according to the report.
The alerts included at least nine flights to and from Prague, four flights over France, two flights en route to Sofia and a flight from Lisbon to Rome. Danish police investigated a threat against Copenhagen airport, which said it was operating normally. Hungary scrambled fighter jets three times to escort civilian flights in its airspace, defense minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said on Facebook.
The affected flights were a small share, 0.0674%, of the 26,709 flights that air traffic control agency Eurocontrol said were scheduled in Europe on Friday, the report said.
The warnings followed separate threats on Tuesday and Thursday that forced at least 35 flights to be diverted or searched. Some of the Thursday threats were signed "fighters of the Male State", a reference to a Russian far-right, ultranationalist and misogynistic movement founded in 2016, according to the report.
A separate spate of threats against media organizations in Ireland on November 6 disrupted broadcasts and prompted staff evacuations and police searches of offices and newsrooms. Taoiseach Micheál Martin told RTÉ Radio 1 after it resumed scheduled broadcasting that such threats had to be taken seriously and were an effort to sow fear and anxiety. "It shows how relatively simple it can be to cause disruption and undermine the normal operation of society," he said, adding that European security agencies would seek to identify those responsible and hold them accountable.
British broadcaster Sky said on November 6 it had also received a security threat and reported the matter to the relevant authorities. Earlier in the week, cyber-attacks targeted supermarket refrigeration systems in at least seven European countries, the report said.
Investigators have said there was no evidence that hoaxes against airlines and other targets were being orchestrated by a hostile terror group or state actor, such as Russia or Iran, but that inquiries continue. Some officials suspect the waves of disruption are linked to European support for Ukraine in its war against Russian invasion, according to the report.
Spain's foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, told national broadcaster TVE that authorities needed more time to identify culprits but that there appeared to be a pattern. "It cannot be mere coincidence that so many incidents with exactly the same modus operandi are happening across Europe," he said. "The most reasonable assumption is that we are facing an attempt at hybrid aggression and a form of psychological warfare," he said, adding that Europe must be prepared for more such challenges.