Seven passenger flights across Europe, including services from London Heathrow and Manchester, were subjected to bomb threats on Tuesday, 3 November 2026. Aircraft were diverted, searched or met by emergency services, but no explosives were found and no injuries were reported.
The alerts involved flights travelling to Poland, Spain, Italy and Bulgaria. Warsaw-Modlin airport was temporarily closed, while Italian fighter jets escorted a flight into Rome. Authorities are investigating the incidents, and there is no public evidence so far that the threats were connected.
Which seven flights were affected?
- London Heathrow to Warsaw, LOT Polish Airlines: The Boeing 737 MAX was diverted from Warsaw Chopin to Warsaw-Modlin, where its 181 occupants disembarked and the aircraft was searched.
- Manchester to Murcia, Ryanair: A security operation was launched after the plane landed in Spain. Its 114 passengers and seven crew members were checked, and police ruled out explosives.
- Copenhagen to Warsaw, SAS: The aircraft landed at Chopin airport as planned. Passengers disembarked, and an inspection found no device.
- Lisbon to Rome, Ryanair: The aircraft landed at Fiumicino airport and was searched following an emailed threat.
- Dublin to Rome, Ryanair: Italian Air Force Eurofighters escorted the aircraft towards Fiumicino. Searches found nothing suspicious.
- Bergamo, Italy, to Sofia, Wizz Air: The plane landed safely in Bulgaria and was cleared following security checks.
- Dublin to Sofia, Ryanair: The aircraft landed safely in Bulgaria. A subsequent inspection found no explosives.
The routes to Sofia were confirmed by Bulgarian authorities. Some early reports incorrectly identified one of the flights as arriving from Israel. The confirmed Tuesday incidents involved flights from Bergamo and Dublin.
Disruption at Warsaw and Murcia airports
Warsaw-Modlin airport said the Heathrow flight landed there at 10:01 local time, after an alert was declared at 09:54. The airport initially suspended operations as specialist teams investigated. Its official statement confirmed the alarm was cancelled at 12:21 and operations had returned to normal. The disruption also delayed other flights, including a service arriving from Edinburgh.
In Spain, Murcia’s airport activated emergency procedures after the Manchester flight arrived. The Guardia Civil checked the aircraft, and airport operations subsequently resumed. The Spanish news agency EFE reported that the airport had been closed for more than two hours.
Italian fighter jets escort Dublin flight
Two Ryanair services to Rome Fiumicino, from Lisbon and Dublin, underwent security searches. Airport operator Aeroporti di Roma confirmed the Dublin flight was accompanied by the Italian Air Force. The military said two Eurofighter aircraft were scrambled after a suspected threat was reported. Both aircraft were cleared without explosives being discovered.
Another flight was diverted on Monday
The seven Tuesday incidents followed a separate threat on Monday, 2 November, when a Wizz Air flight from London Luton to Sofia diverted to Budapest. Hungarian Gripen fighter jets escorted it, and an inspection found no threat. That flight is not included in the total of seven affected on Tuesday.
Separately, Greek authorities searched the cruise ship Crown Iris at Syros after a bomb warning. An initial inspection found no suspicious objects. The ship incident is not included in the seven-flight count.
Who was responsible?
No individual or group has been publicly identified as responsible for the seven threats. Investigators have not established whether they originated from one source, involved copycats or were otherwise coordinated.
The UK government described the warnings against departures from Britain as malicious hoaxes and said police and security agencies were working closely with European partners. Aviation specialists have raised several possible explanations, but there is no verified evidence attributing the incidents to a foreign government or terrorist organisation.
Although the threats proved unfounded, each required a security response. The confirmed outcome is that the aircraft landed safely and searches did not find explosives. The origin and motives behind the warnings remain unknown.
