European aviation chaos: Who is behind bomb threats?

A wave of anonymous emails containing false bomb threats has forced the diversion of dozens of flights across Europe in a single week, with no country officially attributing the campaign. The operational cost is high while the political gain remains diffuse: antiestéticar acts as a currency.

An email that costs nothing can mobilize fighter jets and close a terminal. In just one week, fake bomb threats against aircraft have caused dozens of flight diversions across Europe, from **Dublin** to **Sofia**. French fighter jets escorted an **Aer Lingus** Airbus to the military base at **Évreux**. At **Barajas** airport, three emails disrupted six flights in less than **20 minutes**.

## From Évreux to Barajas: the cost of a false alert
Each threat triggers a protocol that consumes money and time: military escorts, diversions, full aircraft inspections, and passenger reaccommodation. Aviation security cannot afford to ignore any warning, even if false, because the cost of error in the opposite direction is incomparable.

This asymmetry makes anonymity profitable. The sender pays nothing; the system does.

## Lessons from India's 2024 wave
In **2024**, India suffered a surge of false bomb threats against airlines that saturated airports and forced repeated protocols. The episode showed that the impact is not material damage, but the erosion of trust and the overload of emergency services.

## Hypotheses without official attribution
No country has officially attributed the threats. Open hypotheses range from a foreign state campaign to internal groups or simple copycats. Analyst **Mark Galeotti** has questioned the interpretation of the alleged **Gerasimov** doctrine as an automatic explanation for everything.

The term "hybrid warfare" is repeated by **José Manuel Albares**, **Ursula von der Leyen**, and **Mark Rutte**. Its political use reveals a European Union that, **10 years** after approving its framework against hybrid threats, still responds on a country-by-country basis.