Seven European Flights Disrupted by Bomb Threat Hoaxes

WARSAW, Poland — Seven bomb threats against European passenger flights caused searches, a diversion, a military escort and temporary airport closures on Tuesday. But the most important finding is not the number of threats: the incidents turned out to be hoaxes, with no explosives found, according to reporting by the BBC and Associated Press.

Those were serious disruptions, particularly for passengers evacuated without their belongings. AP reported that no one was injured. The affected flights were heading to airports in Poland, Italy, Spain and Bulgaria, and most reached their intended destinations before undergoing security checks.

The incidents are not, by themselves, evidence that Europe has become unsafe to visit. The immediate consequences documented in the reporting were operational disruption and precautionary security responses, while authorities investigated whether the threats were connected.

What Happened to the Seven European Flights?

The BBC identified seven affected routes: London Heathrow to Warsaw; Copenhagen to Warsaw; Manchester to Murcia; Lisbon to Rome; Dublin to Rome; Bergamo to Sofia; and Dublin to Sofia. The responses differed by flight, with some aircraft searched after normal landings and one diverted to another airport.

In Poland, a LOT Polish Airlines flight from Heathrow was diverted from Warsaw Chopin Airport to nearby Modlin Airport. Modlin temporarily suspended operations. LOT said “nothing was found on the aircraft” after a search, and airport officials said normal operations had resumed, AP reported.

A Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen landed at Chopin as planned. The airport implemented standard safety procedures and closed one runway after receiving information about a potentially dangerous item aboard. SAS spokesperson Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji told Poland’s PAP news agency that passengers disembarked and that the landing was normal, not an emergency landing. The matter was referred to Polish police.

In Italy, two Ryanair flights, from Lisbon and Dublin, were searched after arriving at Rome Fiumicino Airport. Police bomb disposal experts checked passengers, crew and baggage and found no explosives. The Italian Air Force confirmed that it scrambled two Eurofighters to intercept and escort the Dublin flight following a report of a suspected threat aboard.

In Spain, authorities ruled out explosives on the Ryanair flight from Manchester to Murcia. The aircraft carried 121 people, including crew. Passengers and crew underwent security checks, and the aircraft was inspected, according to the Spanish government’s delegate in the Murcia region, cited by AP.

The two Sofia-bound flights, from Bergamo and Dublin, were not diverted. Bulgaria’s transport minister, Georgi Peev, said inspections found no explosives. Bulgarian border police told the BBC that an email received at about 10:35 local time reported an improvised explosive device on the Bergamo flight and a similar threat against the aircraft arriving from Dublin. Standard procedures were activated, and representatives of several institutions convened an operational headquarters.

What Passengers Experienced

A passenger on the Manchester–Murcia flight, identified by the BBC as Sarah, said travelers were unaware of the threat during the flight. After landing, emergency services attended the aircraft and passengers were asked to evacuate, leaving their belongings behind.

“We were only later told that it was an actual threat, a bomb threat to the plane itself,” she told BBC Radio 5 Live. Her account illustrates the uncertainty passengers can experience even when a flight reaches its scheduled destination and checks ultimately find no explosives.

The disruption also extended beyond the initial landing. Simple Flying reported that Ryanair brought a replacement aircraft from Alicante for the return Murcia–Manchester service while the original aircraft remained on the ground for checks. At the time of that report, the return flight was expected to be about three and a half hours late.

Why a Hoax Can Trigger a Major Security Response

A fighter escort or an airport closure is a visible security response. It is not proof that a bomb exists. Experts interviewed by the BBC described procedures designed to assess and resolve threats before normal operations resume.

Marco Chan, a former airline pilot and senior lecturer in aviation operations at Kingston University, told BBC Verify that a bomb threat is considered “genuine until it is resolved, even though most turn out to be hoaxes.” He said crews may quietly search toilets, galleys and storage areas. Once on the ground, the aircraft is generally taken to an isolated stand, passengers disembark, and police and bomb disposal teams search it.

Former airline pilot Terry Tozer said a captain’s assessment includes the facilities available at a potential diversion airport and how the aircraft could continue onward if the threat proves false. Aviation security expert Paul Mason told the BBC that crews and ground personnel go through processes to validate a threat’s credibility; a diversion may follow if it reaches a certain level.

Were the Threats Connected?

The British government described the incidents as “malicious hoax threats.” The BBC reported that no official link had been established, but authorities in several countries would cooperate to assess whether the threats formed a coordinated attempt to disrupt airspace.

That distinction matters. Multiple threats across several airlines raise questions about coordination, but an investigation into connections is not confirmation of a coordinated campaign or its source.

The incidents followed a separate threat on Monday against a Wizz Air flight from London Luton to Sofia. That aircraft diverted to Budapest under Hungarian fighter escort. Security checks found no threat, AP reported. It was not one of Tuesday’s seven flights.

For travelers, the supported conclusion is specific: these incidents caused real disruption, but searches did not uncover explosives. Neither the scale of the response nor the number of affected routes establishes that European aviation is broadly unsafe. Equally, the outcome of these searches cannot guarantee that every future threat will be false.