Bomb threats disrupt flights across Europe for third day; newsrooms also targeted

Unbiased summary

On Friday, a new wave of bomb threats affected at least 18 flights across Europe, including to and from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, France, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Romania, and the UK. All aircraft landed safely and no explosive devices were found. Similar threats were sent to newsrooms in Ireland, Bulgaria, and the UK, including Sky News and RTE, prompting evacuations. The threats followed similar incidents on Tuesday and Thursday that disrupted at least 35 flights. A group claiming responsibility sent an email to several outlets warning of further attacks, stating 'This is only the beginning.' European officials suspect a coordinated 'hybrid' campaign, with some blaming Russia, though Moscow denies involvement. Hungarian fighter jets escorted three civilian flights. The affected flights represented a tiny fraction of the 26,709 flights scheduled in Europe on Friday.

Generated with deepseek-flash (DeepSeek)

Coverage by outlet

The Guardian left

Angle Frames the threats as a coordinated effort to cause chaos, highlighting the scale of disruption but also noting the small proportion of flights affected, while raising questions about the motives.

Bias The Guardian emphasizes the potential for coordinated chaos and includes the statistic that affected flights were only 0.0674% of total flights, which downplays the overall impact. It also includes a call for reader experiences, potentially amplifying personal disruption narratives. It omits mention of the 'Mikhail Andropov' pseudonym and the 'Male State' group, focusing instead on the broader implications.

Further bomb threats disrupt at least another 18 flights across Europe

Tell us: have you been affected by the bomb threats to flights in Europe?

The Independent centre-left

Angle Portrays the threats as part of a wider hybrid warfare campaign likely orchestrated by Russia, emphasizing the psychological impact and political context.

Bias The Independent leads with the threat to Sky and other newsrooms, and explicitly links the hoaxes to a suspected Russian hybrid campaign, citing a Spanish minister. It downplays the fact that no devices were found and that the threats were hoaxes, and omits the specific number of flights affected and the proportion of total flights. It also includes speculation about the sender's identity without definitive proof.

Sky issued security threat after growing wave of bomb hoaxes disrupt flights across Europe

Daily Mail right

Angle Focuses on the disruption and chaos caused, with a sensational tone, and highlights the targeting of British flights and media, while mentioning a Russian group but noting its denial.

Bias The Daily Mail uses dramatic language like 'plunged into chaos' and emphasizes the targeting of Britain and British media. It mentions the 'Male State' group and its denial, which adds a layer of complexity but also speculates about Russian involvement. It omits the broader European context and the small proportion of flights affected, instead focusing on individual flight details and the third consecutive day of disruptions.

Third day of European flights chaos as bomb threats are sent to at least a dozen planes including jets heading to and from Britain