Bomb threats hit seven European flights, no devices found

On Tuesday, 3 November 2026, a wave of bomb threats swept across Europe, forcing the diversion of commercial flights, emergency landings, and the search of an Israel-bound cruise ship. No explosive devices were uncovered, though the incidents triggered temporary airport closures and security sweeps that rattled passengers and crews. The disruptions followed a cyber-attack that shut supermarket fridges across the continent a day earlier, and occurred as European officials raised the alarm over hybrid attacks attributed to Russia and Iran, according to reports.

At least seven flights and a cruise ship received bomb threats on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, according to wire reports. Threats were directed at flights heading to Warsaw, Sofia, Rome, and Murcia. In Poland, the capital's Chopin airport was briefly affected, while the Italian Air Force accompanied a flight to Rome. An Israel-bound cruise ship, the Panama-flagged Crown Iris, was inspected for bombs on the Greek island of Syros after an anonymous tip claimed an explosive device was attached to the hull, as reported by authorities.

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The security measures extended across multiple nations. Two Ryanair flights from Lisbon and Dublin were searched at Rome’s Fiumicino airport following anonymous email tips, according to an airport operator ADR source. The Dublin flight was escorted by the Italian Air Force until landing. Meanwhile, a Polish LOT flight from London Heathrow to Warsaw’s Chopin airport was diverted to Modlin, a secondary airport that closed briefly before resuming operations. Another Warsaw-bound flight, an SAS service from Copenhagen, landed normally at Chopin and was checked without disrupting overall airport operations, according to a Chopin airport spokesperson and SAS spokeswoman Alexandra Lindgren Kaokju.

In Bulgaria, the transport ministry confirmed that two flights—a Wizz Air service from Milan/Bergamo carrying 176 passengers and a Ryanair flight from Dublin carrying 186 passengers—received bomb threats on the day of arrival in Sofia. Both aircraft landed safely and were inspected by counter-terrorism units, with no devices found. Bulgaria's Minister of Transportation Georgi Peev stated that the pilot of one flight received information through the airline. A separate Wizz Air flight from London to Sofia had been diverted to Budapest on Monday, 2 Nov 2026, after a threat was received mid-flight; Hungarian Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi posted on Facebook that a Hungarian Gripen fighter jet had scrambled to intercept and escort the aircraft.

In Spain, a Ryanair flight from Manchester to Murcia triggered security protocols. Francisco Lucas, the Spanish government’s delegate in the Murcia region, stated that 121 people on board, including 114 passengers and seven crew, disembarked and underwent security checks while forces inspected the aircraft. Authorities ruled out the presence of explosives.

The pattern of incidents suggested an aim to cause broad disruption rather than target a specific state or airline. The lack of clear target state, airline, or route indicates that general disruption to aviation operations is the aim, said Rhys Jones, Analysis Output Manager at aviation risk advisory firm Osprey Flight Solutions, via Reuters. Jones added that the number of confirmed threats in a single day was exceptional.

While no country officially blamed a specific actor for the bomb threats, the incidents arrived amid heightened concerns over sabotage. Eric Schouten, head of aviation security group Dyami, noted via Reuters that the events fit a narrative of operations designed to disturb Europe, comparable to recent cyber-attacks that shut supermarket fridges across several European countries. Moscow and Tehran have denied involvement in any such campaign of hybrid attacks.

Timeline of Events

• Monday, 2 Nov 2026 – A Wizz Air flight from London to Sofia diverted to Budapest airport following a mid-flight bomb threat, escorted by a Hungarian Gripen fighter jet.
• Tuesday, 3 Nov 2026 – Bomb threats targeted at least seven passenger flights and a cruise ship across Europe, prompting diversions, emergency protocols, and military escorts.

Authorities, including Bulgaria's acting Interior Ministry Secretary General Lyubomir Nikolov, stated that investigations remain underway to identify the senders of the threats. Further inspections by coast guard specialists were expected for the cruise ship in Greece before it could resume its voyage.