Hoax bomb threats affect at least 25 European flights in a week

At least 18 flights in Europe deal with bomb threats, adding to what one expert calls an unusual level of hoaxes in a short time period, suggesting “a very deliberate act.”

Paris — At least 18 commercial flights in Europe had to deal with bomb threats Thursday, with at least one being diverted to a military base in France. While authorities have reported no explosives discovered on any of the jets, and they all appeared to be hoaxes, Thursday's incidents add to a fast-growing number of journeys hit by similar threats this week, which one expert said suggested a "very deliberate act." British authorities dismissed threats to about seven flights earlier this week as hoaxes, but the number of impacted journeys soared to at least 25 on Thursday, meaning significant disruption for thousands of passengers and raising concerns about a possible coordinated effort to impact travel on the continent.

So far, it remains unclear who, if anyone, is behind any such coordinated action, and no authorities have confirmed a link between any of the threats.The flights impacted on Thursday included:A flight from Ireland to Italy that was diverted to an air base in western France Thursday because of a bomb threat, according to French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's office. The flight landed safely and all 151 passengers and six crew members deplaned safely, while military bomb defusal teams got to work examining the plane. Flight tracking sites showed that the Aer Lingus Dublin-Rome flight turning sharply off its trajectory as it