Bomb Threats Disrupt Flights Across Europe
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An aircraft operated by Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air is seen on the tarmac at Budapest's Ferenc Liszt International Airport in Budapest, Hungary, on Nov. 2, 2026, after being diverted following a bomb threat during a flight from London to Sofia, Bulgaria. (Attila Kisbenedek / AFP via Getty Images)
By Guy Birchall
11/3/2026Updated: 11/3/2026

A raft of bomb threats against planes swept Europe on Nov. 3, with more than half a dozen countries from the UK to Bulgaria affected.

The threats affected aircraft departing from London; Manchester, England; Copenhagen, Denmark; Dublin; and Bergamo, Italy.

The authorities have found no explosives in any of the cases reported so far.

A LOT Polish Airlines flight from London Heathrow Airport was forced to make an unscheduled landing at Warsaw Modlin Airport on Nov. 3 following a threat.

The plane had been bound for the Polish capital’s other airport, Warsaw Chopin.

The unexpected diversion caused Warsaw Modlin to close for almost two hours while authorities investigated, but it reopened at about midday after no explosives were detected.

Across the city at Warsaw Chopin the same day, a Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) plane from Copenhagen was checked for the same reason; however, the airport said operations had continued as normal and that no device had been found.

SAS communications manager Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji told Norwegian outlet VG that the aircraft had landed safely in Warsaw and that its passengers had disembarked.

In Spain, authorities searched a Ryanair plane after a bomb threat involving a flight from Manchester that landed in the southeastern city of Murcia.

“Security procedures have been activated following a bomb threat involving a plane from Manchester that has landed in Murcia,” Francisco Lucas, the Spanish government’s representative in Murcia, posted on X.

“The 114 passengers and seven crew members have disembarked and are undergoing security checks. The aircraft is now being inspected.”

He later added that the Spanish Civil Guard, one of the country’s two national police forces, ruled out explosives at the scene, and that the airport was back to normal operations.

Vasil Levski Sofia Airport in Bulgaria also saw threats issued against two incoming flights, with Bulgarian Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev saying that no explosive devices were found during the inspection of the two aircraft, according to the Bulgarian News Agency.

Peev also clarified that the flights in question originated in Dublin and Bergamo, after earlier reports suggested that a single flight departing from Israel had received a threat.

The Sofia incident came a day after a plane bound for the Bulgarian capital from London was forced to divert to Budapest, Hungary, after also receiving a bomb threat, the Bulgarian News Agency reported on Nov. 2.

Hungarian Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said in a Nov. 2 Facebook post that a Hungarian air force Gripen fighter jet escorted the Wizz Air flight to Ferenc Liszt International Airport after the threat.

Authorities inspected the plane and found no explosive devices, and it continued its journey to Sofia later that day.

The Epoch Times contacted LOT Polish Airlines, SAS, Ryanair, and Wizz Air for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

No information has been revealed about who is behind the threats or whether they are connected.

The spate of bomb threats against airlines comes a day after several supermarket chains across Europe reported technical incidents with their refrigerator systems, including rising temperatures, with companies blaming potential cyberattacks.

Incidents were reported in Belgium, Ireland, and Sweden, among other countries, on Nov. 2, following similar attacks that took place across France last month.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Guy Birchall is a UK-based journalist covering a wide range of national stories with a particular interest in freedom of expression and social issues.