A wave of hoax bomb threats has disrupted air travel across Europe, triggering emergency security checks, flight diversions and military fighter jet escorts. The alerts, which initially affected seven passenger flights on November 3, expanded to dozens of reported threats by November 5 and 6.

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The first wave targeted flights travelling to or within Poland, Italy, Spain and Bulgaria. Several Ryanair aircraft, a Scandinavian Airlines flight and a Polish carrier were among those affected. Military aircraft, including Italian Eurofighters and a Hungarian Gripen, were reportedly deployed to escort some of the targeted planes.

The situation intensified over the following days, with at least nine flights involving Prague Airport affected. Other routes connected to Dublin, London, Copenhagen, Sofia and Helsinki also faced security alerts. An Aer Lingus flight travelling from Dublin to Rome was diverted to a French military base.

The disruption extended beyond aviation on November 6, when Irish broadcaster RTÉ, Britain's Sky and Bulgaria's NOVA TV reportedly received security threats.

Most of the threats were communicated through emails, and investigations are underway to identify those responsible. European officials have raised concerns about possible sabotage and hybrid warfare, with Russia and Iran mentioned in some allegations. Both countries have denied such accusations. However, no single organisation has been conclusively identified as responsible for the wider campaign.

Separately, Dutch military police detained a man at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport in connection with a threat involving a Prague-bound flight. It remains unclear whether the incident is linked to the broader series of alerts.

Despite the security response and localised disruption, European air traffic authorities said the wider aviation network had experienced limited overall impact on its schedule. The reported threats were subsequently found to be false alarms, with no explosives discovered.