A Wave of Bomb Threats Rattled European Flights, and Nothing Was Found

On November 3, bomb threats targeted several passenger flights across Europe, forcing diversions and security checks in Poland, Spain, Italy and Bulgaria. Reports differ on exactly how many flights were affected, with counts ranging from four to about ten, but they agree on the outcome: no explosives were found and nobody was hurt, and the threats appear to have been hoaxes.

LOT flight LO286 from London Heathrow to Warsaw, carrying 181 people, was diverted to Warsaw-Modlin after an alert, and passengers were bused to Chopin airport. Modlin briefly suspended operations and reopened roughly two hours later. An SAS flight from Copenhagen landed at Chopin for security checks.

Ryanair flights were also hit. A Manchester to Murcia service landed safely and its 114 passengers and seven crew were screened by Spain’s Civil Guard. Flights from Lisbon and Dublin to Rome were threatened, with the Dublin flight reportedly escorted by Italian fighter jets, and flights from Bergamo and Dublin to Sofia were searched by police.

A Wizz Air flight from Luton had been diverted to Budapest on November 2 after a similar threat. No coordinated campaign or suspects had been identified at the time of reporting. Travelers should expect that even a hoax can delay flights for hours, so build in extra time when connections are tight.

Sources: Rus Tourism News, Ground News