As 18 European flights get bomb threats in a day, expert says scale of hoaxes suggests “deliberate act”

Updated on: November 5, 2026 / 8:01 AM EST / CBS News

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:

The threats to commercial airliners Thursday came after at least seven other flights across Europe received bomb threats this week that prompted aircraft searches, diversions and in at least one other case an escort by an Italian fighter…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/moneywatch/