Hoax bomb threats disrupted several flights across Europe on Tuesday, November 3, prompting security searches, airport restrictions and military intervention. Flights departing Dublin were among those affected. Officials reported no injuries, and searches across several countries found no explosives. The incidents followed a similar threat on Monday that forced a Bulgaria-bound aircraft to divert to Hungary.
Italy’s Air Force sent two Eurofighters to intercept and escort a civilian aircraft flying from Dublin to Rome Fiumicino after a suspected threat was reported. A Fiumicino official identified the aircraft as a Ryanair flight and said no explosives were found. Another Ryanair service, arriving from Lisbon on Tuesday morning, was checked after an email claimed a bomb was aboard. Bomb disposal specialists searched passengers, crew and baggage without finding explosives. The official spoke anonymously because they lacked authorization to comment publicly.
In Poland, a LOT flight from London Heathrow to Warsaw Chopin Airport was redirected to nearby Modlin Airport following a bomb threat, according to Polish news agency PAP. Modlin temporarily closed, but operations resumed after a search found nothing aboard the aircraft. Chopin also closed a runway and activated safety procedures after receiving information about a potentially dangerous item on an arriving Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen. SAS spokesperson Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji said the aircraft landed normally, passengers disembarked and Polish police were handling the matter.
Spanish authorities also ruled out explosives aboard a Ryanair flight from Manchester that landed at Murcia Airport. Francisco Lucas, the Spanish government’s delegate in the region, said the aircraft was inspected and passengers and crew underwent security checks. There were 121 people aboard, including crew members.
Two aircraft arriving at Sofia International Airport from Bergamo, Italy, and Dublin received threats while airborne but continued to their destination without diversion. Bulgarian Transportation Minister Georgi Peev said counter-terrorism officers inspected both after landing and found no evidence of explosives, according to state news agency BTA. Peev said initial information about one threat came from the pilot, who had been alerted by the airline. Bulgarian air traffic controllers then followed established procedures to bring the aircraft safely into Sofia.
On Monday, a Wizz Air flight from Luton Airport near London was diverted to Budapest after receiving a bomb threat in flight. Hungarian Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said a Hungarian Air Force Gripen escorted it to Liszt Ferenc International Airport. Wizz Air said checks of the aircraft and passengers found no threat. Bulgarian official Lyubomir Nikolov said Tuesday that investigators were still seeking the sender. A separate threat last month prompted a Tel Aviv to Vienna flight to make an emergency landing in Bulgaria.
The reason for the latest incidents remained unexplained. Matthew Borie, co-founder and chief intelligence officer of airline security adviser Osprey Flight Solutions, said possible explanations included copycat threats, multiple threats from one individual or group, or hybrid operations involving states or their supporters. He raised possible Russian or Iranian involvement without establishing responsibility. Borie urged travelers not to be alarmed, pointing to coordinated national responses that sometimes include fighter escorts.
Greek authorities were separately investigating a bomb threat against the Crown Iris, a Panamanian-flagged, Israeli-run cruise ship docked at Syros. An initial inspection by coast guard officers using a sniffer dog and a diver found nothing suspicious, while specialist divers were heading to conduct additional checks. The ship, scheduled to sail to Haifa with 940 passengers and 597 crew, was being evacuated as a precaution. Its previous calls at Greek ports have drawn protests, mainly from activists opposing the war in Gaza.
