Several commercial flights made either unscheduled or high-alert landings in France, Italy, Belgium and Bulgaria, according to authorities in the various countries. Planes made unscheduled landings in Evreux, France; and in Bulgaria. A flight from Finland landed in Rome as scheduled but with a military escort, and another landed in Brussels amid a security threat.
The incident in France became public knowledge first, but the other similar reports soon followed. This follows bomb threats leveled against several European flights earlier this week, prompting a series of similar unscheduled landings. An Airbus A320 plane has been diverted to the Evreux airbase to the west of Paris following a bomb threat.
The office of French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced the incident on Thursday, saying it was monitoring the situation "in real time." The flight was headed from Dublin, Ireland, to the Italian capital of Rome. Tracking websites showed the plane, part of the Aer Lingus fleet, sharply deviating its course as it was around Paris' airspace and heading towards the more isolated airfield in Evreux. France's air force said that it dispatched planes "as soon as the incident was reported." "The aircraft has been diverted and is being escorted to Evreux airfield," it said.
Lecornu's office subsequently confirmed that the plane, part of the Aer Lingus fleet, had landed safely at the airfield. The prior threats to commercial flights this week turned out to be hoaxes that nevertheless caused diversions and major security mobilizations. In one case, the Italian air force escorted a plane to its emergency landing.
The threats targeted airlines including Poland's LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air and Ryanair. While it's not yet clear if there is a link, these disruptions to commercial aviation also coincided with a series of apparent cyberattacks targeting freezer units in major supermarkets and even French bloodbanks. All the cases remain nascent, but have the potential hallmarks of so-called hybrid attacks designed to cause maximum disruption with minimal effort and resources.
This is a developing story, more to follow.
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