Six European Flights Hit by Bomb Threats Within Hours

At least six flights across Europe — operated by Ryanair, Wizz Air, LOT Polish Airlines and SAS — received bomb threats within hours of each other on November 3, 2026, triggering diversions, security sweeps and police operations at airports from Warsaw to Murcia. No explosives were found on any of the aircraft inspected.

The first confirmed incident involved a LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8, which departed London Heathrow (LHR) at 06:43 bound for Warsaw Chopin (WAW). LOT told AeroTime that airport authorities notified the carrier of a potential security threat on board, forcing the aircraft to divert to Warsaw Modlin (WMI). After landing, the jet taxied to a designated parking stand for a security inspection.

"The aircraft security inspection has been completed, with no suspicious items found," a LOT spokesperson said. "Following border control checks, passengers were transferred to Warsaw Chopin Airport by coach."

What happened to the SAS flight?

An SAS Airbus A320neo was also the subject of a threat after departing Copenhagen Airport (CPH) just before 08:30 local time on November 3. The aircraft landed normally in Warsaw, where passengers disembarked without a diversion.

"We are following established security procedures while taking care of our passengers and crew," an SAS spokesperson said. "The matter is now being handled by the police in Warsaw, and we are following their instructions."

How did the Manchester flight end up in Murcia?

Spanish authorities confirmed a bomb threat against a flight from Manchester Airport (MAN) to Murcia Corvera Airport (RMU). Francisco Lucas, the Government Delegate in the Region of Murcia, wrote on social media that 114 passengers and seven crew members had disembarked and the aircraft was undergoing a security check.

Lucas later added that police had "ruled out the presence of explosives on the plane" following the inspection.

The only aircraft to operate from Manchester to Murcia Corvera that morning, according to Flightradar24 data, was a Ryanair Boeing 737 MAX 8-200. Local media in Murcia published a photo of a Ryanair aircraft surrounded by airport staff, describing a "large-scale security operation." Ryanair itself has not commented on the record.

Which other flights were targeted?

The wave of threats extended well beyond those two aircraft:

• The BBC reported that sources at Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) said two Ryanair arrivals from Lisbon and Dublin were checked over potential bomb threats.
• Initial media reports named an El Al flight from Israel to Sofia Vasil Levski Airport (SOF) as a target. After speaking with a Bulgarian interior ministry spokesperson, AFP corrected the record: the aircraft was in fact a Wizz Air flight from Bergamo, Italy.
• The Bulgarian News Agency reported that Transport Minister Peev told journalists that bomb threats had been received for two aircraft headed for Sofia — the Wizz Air service and another arriving from Dublin.

Wizz Air confirmed the incident in a statement to AeroTime: "Wizz Air confirms that today's Milan Bergamo–Sofia flight (W6 4352) was subject to a bomb threat, which was communicated to the airline by the Bulgarian authorities. As the aircraft was already approaching its final destination, no diversion was necessary, and the flight landed safely at Sofia Airport."

The carrier added: "The relevant authorities carried out the necessary security checks in accordance with established security protocols and procedures, and the aircraft was subsequently cleared. Wizz Air is cooperating fully with the authorities. The safety of our passengers and crew remains our highest priority."

For the airlines involved, the cost of November 3 was measured in diverted aircraft, emptied terminals, coach transfers and hours of lost rotation time rather than casualties. Every aircraft was cleared and returned to service, but the concentration of threats across four carriers, five countries and a single morning points to a coordinated disruption campaign — and police in Warsaw, Murcia and Sofia will now be working to establish who was behind it.