False bomb alerts in Europe: at least 27 targeted flights, Dublin Rome diverted to Evreux

False bomb alerts targeted flights in several European countries on Thursday 5 November 2026. RTL Info, together with AFP, reports at least 20 flights involved; RTÉ lists at least 27 in its update at 6.30 p.m. Several aircraft were stolen or escorted by hunters. The landings took place without incident and no explosives were found during the controls reported by TF1 Info. [S3] [S7] [S27]

Provisional counts, different consequences depending on the flight

The figures published do not all correspond to the same state of information: TF1 Info and La Dépêche du Midi mention twelve flights at midday, compared with about 20 flights at RTL Infos and at least 27 flights at RTÉ. These counts describe the same day of disturbance and should not be added up. In the absence of a common inventory, it is not possible to harmonize its perimeters precisely. [S3] [S7] [S8] [S27]

In Bulgaria, three Ryanair flights to Sofia were involved. The parties from Madrid and Copenhagen have reached their destination; the one from London was diverted to Plovdiv. Four aircraft to Prague also received threats. A Finnair Helsinki-Rome was escorted to Fiumicino, while a Wizz Air Milan-Warsaw landed in Vienna. An alert therefore did not systematically lead to a change of airport. [S8] [S27] [S28]

Disruptions also affected departures. In Warsaw, a LOT flight to Paris was stopped during the taxi and then its passengers transferred to another aircraft. In Rome-Fiumicino, on the contrary, the airport operator indicated that the checks had been completed without affecting the operation of the platform. [S9]

In Evreux, a safety clearance and a pilot investigation

The Airbus A320 d'Aer Lingus on flight IS402 Dublin-Rome landed at about 1005 on Air Base 105 d'Evreux, following an alert from the Italian authorities. The 151 passengers and six crew members were safely placed during the mine action. The passengers were checked by the gendarmes and then taken to a gymnasium at the base. Aer Lingus has announced that they are working towards their final destination. [S4] [S7]

The prosecutor's office opened an investigation into the pilot's behaviour, which "would have refused" to land on the military base, preferring a civilian airport. According to Matignon, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu ordered the aircraft to be intercepted because the pilot had not cooperated as expected. Two hunters escorted the A320. Prosecutor Rémi Coutin announced a free hearing, without excluding possible police custody. [S21] [S24]

These statements are not sufficient to establish a fault of the captain, whose precise explanations are not reported. Aer Lingus assured RTÉ that she would cooperate fully with the French authorities. The Irish pilot association, IALPA, recalls that an unforeseen event increases the workload in the cockpit and that the safety of the occupants remains the primary responsibility of the pilots. This general position does not resolve the case of flight EI402. [S24] [S27] [S28]

Protecting people without unnecessarily increasing constraints

In Prague, the police assessed the uncredible threats while triggering the necessary security measures. It claims to have sought to limit their effects on passengers and airport activity. Inspections of the four aircraft revealed no explosives, according to a police spokesman quoted by the TKC agency and taken over by RTÉ. [S28]

For travellers, the documented consequences are concrete: change of destination, controls, waiting or transfer to another aircraft. The authorities invoke security to justify these interventions. However, the information available does not allow for an independent assessment of the proportionality of each measure or an estimate of the expenses ultimately borne by passengers, companies and public services. [S4] [S9] [S28]

E-mail threats, no established attribution

In Prague, messages came from anonymous email addresses. In Italy, an e-mail sent to the airport and to companies on the platform targeted Dublin-Rome and Helsinki-Rome flights. According to the Italian media cited by RTL Infos, it was signed on behalf of "male state fighters". However, AFP was unable to confirm that the Russian extremist movement bearing this name was behind the message. This signature is therefore not an verified assignment. [S3]

The European Commissioner for Transport, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, still considers it too early to establish a link between the incidents. Surveys are the responsibility of States, with the European Union facilitating the exchange of information. Monday and Tuesday alerts remain separate episodes: Ryanair's Dublin-Rome targeted Tuesday is not the Aer Lingus stolen Thursday. Their repetition does not demonstrate a common organisation or the responsibility of a foreign State. [S7] [S8] [S11]