On Tuesday, European airports witnessed a series of bomb warnings on board about ten civilian aircraft, which led to disruption of air traffic at some airports and the alert of military fighters in Italy. Inspections did not result in finding any explosives, while the threats extended to a cruise ship off the coast of Greece.
Published on: 04/11/2026 - 02:35 Last updated: 04/11/2026 - 03:03
A series of bomb threats on board civilian aircraft sparked a state of security alert in a number of European countries on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, after affecting about ten flights, causing the temporary closure of an airport in Warsaw and the deployment of fighter jets in the airspace of Rome.
The authorities confirmed that the inspections did not reveal any explosive materials.
The Irish low-cost airline Ryanair was the most affected by the warnings, as four of its flights were targeted.
The London Police announced that they had received threats related to four planes that were scheduled to take off from or arrive at Heathrow Airport, in addition to an alarm related to a flight at Manchester Airport, confirming that no security threats had been detected after conducting checks.
Fighter jets in the airspace of Rome and security measures in Spain
In Italy, Air Force fighters escorted a Ryanair flight coming from Dublin to Rome-Fiumicino Airport, where it landed safely.
Another flight that arrived at the airport was subjected to security procedures, before the authorities confirmed the safety of the two planes, passengers and luggage.
In Spain, the security authorities were on alert after receiving an alarm targeting a flight of the same company coming from Manchester to Murcia, but it landed on time, and emergency measures were lifted after the inspection ended.
The threats extended to Poland, where they targeted two flights heading to Warsaw, one of which belonged to Scandinavian Airlines coming from Copenhagen, and the other belonged to Polish Airlines coming from London.
One of the runways at Chopin Airport was temporarily closed to inspect the first plane, while the second plane was diverted to Warsaw-Modlin Airport, where its passengers were evacuated before navigation traffic resumed. No explosives were found on the two planes.
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Threats in Bulgaria and Greece
In Bulgaria, a Wizz Air plane coming from Bergamo, Italy, underwent inspection after landing in Sofia, without finding any suspicious object.
This came a day after another company flight, heading from London to Sofia, was forced to land in Budapest accompanied by two Hungarian fighter jets following a similar warning.
The threats were not limited to aircraft, as the Greek authorities evacuated the cruise ship "Crown Iris" in the port of Syros Island in the Aegean Sea, after an unknown person reported the presence of an explosive device on board.
The ship heading to Haifa was carrying 940 passengers and 597 crew members. No explosives were found until the latest information was issued, while the authorities continue the investigation.
France 24/AFP
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