Bomb threats across airlines in several European countries disrupt travel around continent

Several flights across Europe received alleged bomb threats on Tuesday that ultimately turned out to be hoaxes but prompted searches, diversions and, in one case, an escort by the Italian Air Force until landing, officials said.

The impacted airlines included Polish airline LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air and Ryanair. The incidents came a day after a plane headed for Bulgaria was diverted to Hungary after receiving a similar bomb threat while in the air. No one was injured.

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Such threats were “not a new phenomenon” and come at a time of increased geopolitical tensions and signs of “disruption,” like attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems, drone incursions in Europe and mysterious triggers to alert apps — even as authorities have warned that hybrid threats abound.

The focus on Europe means “there could be a Russian angle,” said Borie, the company’s co-founder and chief intelligence officer. “We need to keep in mind, though, that Iranian hybrid warfare is just as active in certain pockets of Europe as well.”

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Italy

A Ryanair flight from Lisbon landed in Rome’s Fiumicino airport Tuesday morning after receipt of an email reporting a bomb was on board, according to information provided by a Fiumicino official with knowledge of the events.

Police bomb disposal experts carried out security checks of passengers, crew and baggage and found no explosives.

Poland

In Poland, meanwhile, a morning flight by Polish airline LOT from London’s Heathrow Airport to Warsaw’s main Chopin Airport was diverted to nearby Modlin Airport after a bomb threat, Polish press agency PAP reported. Modlin Airport was closed temporarily.

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Chopin Airport also received information about a potentially dangerous item on board a Scandinavian Airlines, or SAS, flight inbound from Copenhagen, PAP reported. The airport’s communications office told the news agency that standard safety procedures were immediately implemented, and one of the airport’s runways was closed.A police officer removes baggage from a Ryanair airplane in Murcia, Spain, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, following a reported bomb threat. via REUTERS

“The passengers disembarked, the plane landed normally; it was not an emergency landing,” SAS spokesperson Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji told PAP. She said the matter has been referred to the Polish police.

Spain

Spanish officials on Tuesday ruled out the presence of explosives on a Ryanair plane from Manchester that landed in southern Spain’s Murcia Airport following a bomb threat.

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Bulgaria

Bulgarian authorities found no signs of explosives on two aircraft at the Sofia International Airport that had both received bomb threats Tuesday while en route, Bulgaria’s Minister of Transportation Georgi Peev said on Tuesday, according to state news agency BTA.A Ryanair flight from Lisbon landed in Rome’s Fiumicino airport Tuesday morning after receipt of an email reporting a bomb was on board, according to information provided by a Fiumicino official with knowledge of the events.

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The Italian Air Force confirmed it scrambled two Air Force Eurofighters to “intercept and escort” a plane bound for Rome. It said it responded immediately “following a report of a suspected threat aboard a civilian aircraft flying from Dublin to Rome Fiumicino.”

Hungary

The bomb threats came a day after a Wizz Air flight that departed Luton Airport near London was forced to divert to Hungary after a bomb threat received while the plane was in the air.

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On Tuesday, Bulgaria’s acting Interior Ministry Secretary General Lyubomir Nikolov told reporters that authorities were still trying to identify the sender of the threat.

Last month, a flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing in Bulgaria following a bomb threat.

Greece

Greek authorities were investigating a bomb threat against a Panamanian-flagged, Israeli-run cruise ship in the port of the Aegean island of Syros.

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The presence of the Crown Iris in Greek ports has triggered protests in the past, mainly from activists opposing the war in Gaza.

(*) Full article: https://nypost.com/2026/11/03/world-news/bomb-threats-across-airlines-in-several-european-countries-disrupt-travel-around-continent/