In brief
Bomb threats were reported on flights from Copenhagen, Madrid, London, Warsaw, and Dublin, prompting interception by Bulgarian MiG‑29s and a redirection to an airbase in France. All affected aircraft landed safely with no incident reported.
Bomb threats were reported on several passenger flights across Europe on Thursday 5 November 2026, according to Chinese state media. Three aircraft – one each from Copenhagen, Madrid and London – were headed to Sofia, Bulgaria, while a LOT Polish Airlines flight was bound for Brussels.
Bulgarian authorities reacted by scrambling MiG‑29 fighters from Graf Ignatievo Air Base to intercept the threatened planes. The Bulgarian Air Force, acting under orders from NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre, launched the intercept at 10:11 a.m. and escorted the civilian aircraft to safety. One of the planes landed at Plovdiv Airport, while the remaining two touched down in Sofia.
The flights were cleared after the interceptions, and the aircraft were escorted to their destinations without incident, Bulgarian statements said. All passengers and crew were reportedly unharmed.
In a broader wave of threats, a flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted by French authorities to a military airbase after a similar explosive warning was received. The BBC reported that the diversion took place in France, and the aircraft landed safely there.
Reuters noted that the bomb threats were affecting a range of airlines, including Aer Lingus, Wizz Air, LOT, Finnair and others. Flights were listed as destined for cities such as Prague, Paris, Rome, Brussels and Warsaw, indicating a wide geographic spread.
According to multiple sources, no explosive devices were found on any of the aircraft, and no injuries were reported. All airlines involved confirmed that the flights landed safely, either in their scheduled destinations or at alternative airports after the threats were addressed.
The incidents represent one of the latest chapters in a growing trend of bomb threats against commercial aviation in Europe, raising concerns among pilots, airlines and security agencies about the resilience of existing safety protocols.
