Bomb threats disrupt several flights across Europe

At least a dozen commercial flights made either unscheduled or high-alert landings in Austria, France, Italy, Belgium, Czechia, Spain, Serbia and Bulgaria, according to authorities in the various countries.

Planes made unscheduled landings in Evreux, France; in Vienna, Austria; and in Bulgaria. A flight from Finland landed in Rome as scheduled but with a military escort, and various others touched down at their scheduled destinations across the continent but amid security alerts.

The incident in France became public knowledge first, but the other similar reports soon followed.

This comes after a series of bomb threats leveled against several European flights earlier this week, prompting similar unscheduled landings.

Tuesday's incidents turned out to be hoaxes, and preliminary information shows no sign of dangerous materials reported in Thursday's threats as yet.

The European Union Commissioner for Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, wrote online that any threats against civilians were unacceptable.

"It is too early to draw conclusions on whether the reported incidents are linked," Tzitzikostas said. "National investigations remain ongoing."

News of a series of diversions and bomb scares trickled out during the course of the day, particularly late in the morning:

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 blood banks.

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.