A wave of hoax bomb threats disrupted air travel across Europe for a third consecutive day on Friday, 6 November 2026, and spread to newsrooms, forcing evacuations and fighter-jet escorts — although no explosives were found anywhere.
At least 18 flights were affected on Friday, according to a count by The Guardian, after more than two dozen flights were hit on Thursday. The threats have been arriving since Tuesday, disrupting flights across at least nine countries including Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Portugal and the UK.
Broadcasters were also targeted. Ireland’s public broadcaster RTE evacuated its Dublin offices and suspended programming after receiving an emailed threat, while Bulgaria’s Nova TV received a similar threat. Britain’s Sky broadcaster also reported a security threat.
Hungarian fighter jets escorted airliners travelling from Brussels to Sofia and from Prague to Bucharest and Cyprus through Hungarian airspace. Hungary’s defence minister said NATO had ordered air patrols in the region, marking the first reported involvement of the military alliance.
A Wizz Air flight from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice, where passengers were evacuated after landing. All aircraft landed safely, and searches found no explosive devices on any plane or at any media site.
The emailed threats were signed by a purported sender named Mikhail Andropov, who warned of further attacks on transport across Europe. Reuters said it could not establish the sender’s identity or determine whether the emails came from the same source as the threats affecting dozens of flights since Tuesday.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares described the developments as apparent “hybrid aggression and a form of psychological warfare”. European officials have increasingly blamed Russia for such operations, although Moscow has denied involvement.
Source: Reuters
