Four flights across Europe were disrupted by hoax bomb threats on Monday, November 3, in a single day of chaos that closed Warsaw’s main airport for a time, forced a Ryanair jet to divert to Murcia and sent a Wizz Air aircraft to a remote stand in Sofia, where police found no explosives.
The incidents, reported across Poland, Spain, Bulgaria and Hungary, shared a pattern: anonymous threats made against aircraft in flight or on the ground, triggering emergency protocols, fighter-jet escorts in at least one case and hours of delays for passengers. No devices were found in any of the four cases, and authorities in each country are now investigating the threats as hoaxes.
The concentration of incidents on a single day — affecting carriers including SAS, LOT Polish Airlines, Ryanair and Wizz Air — has raised questions about whether the threats were coordinated, though officials have not confirmed any link between the cases.
Warsaw airport closes briefly after bomb threats hit SAS and LOT flights
The day began in Poland, where Warsaw Chopin Airport was temporarily closed after bomb threats were made against two flights: a SAS service and a LOT Polish Airlines service. Passengers were evacuated and police searched the aircraft, causing delays and cancellations at one of Europe’s busiest hubs.
Both aircraft were cleared after inspection, and the airport reopened, but the disruption rippled through the morning schedule. The threats were among the most serious of the day because they targeted the airport itself as well as the aircraft, forcing a full security response.
Polish authorities have not said how the threats were received or whether they believe the two Warsaw threats came from the same source. The incidents are being investigated by police and aviation security services.
Ryanair Manchester to Murcia flight diverted after bomb alert
Later in the day, a Ryanair flight from Manchester to Murcia in south-east Spain was diverted after a bomb alert, landing under emergency procedures and being met by police and bomb-disposal teams. Passengers were evacuated and the aircraft was searched before being declared safe.
The diversion caused significant delays for passengers, many of whom were travelling for holidays or family visits. Ryanair has not commented in detail on the incident, but the airline’s procedures for bomb threats involve immediate notification of air traffic control and landing at the nearest suitable airport.
Spanish authorities confirmed that no explosives were found on board and that the threat was treated as a hoax. The aircraft was later cleared to continue its journey, though some passengers faced onward delays.
Wizz Air Sofia to Bergamo flight inspected after bomb threat in Bulgaria
In Bulgaria, a Wizz Air flight from Sofia to Bergamo in Italy was held for inspection after a bomb threat was made against the aircraft. The plane was moved to a remote stand at Sofia Airport, passengers were evacuated and police carried out a thorough search.
No explosives were found, and the flight was eventually cleared, but the incident added to a growing list of hoax threats that have disrupted European aviation in recent months. Bulgarian police are investigating the source of the threat.
The Sofia incident is notable because it involved a low-cost carrier operating a popular route to Italy, affecting hundreds of passengers who had to wait while the aircraft was searched. The airline has not issued a detailed statement on the incident.
Fighter jets scrambled in Budapest after another bomb threat
A fourth incident involved a flight that was escorted by fighter jets after a bomb threat was reported, with Hungarian authorities scrambling jets to accompany the aircraft to Budapest. The plane landed safely and was searched, with no explosives found.
The use of fighter jets underscores how seriously aviation authorities treat bomb threats, even when they are likely to be hoaxes. The cost of scrambling jets, diverting aircraft and deploying emergency services is substantial, and the disruption to passengers can last for hours.
Hungarian officials have not disclosed the flight number or the airline involved, but the incident was reported alongside the other three cases as part of a single day of disruption.
What the Warsaw airport closure showed about hoax threat response
The four incidents together illustrate the standard response to bomb threats in European aviation: immediate notification of authorities, evacuation of passengers where necessary, search of the aircraft by police and bomb-disposal teams, and clearance only after a thorough inspection.
That response is designed to prioritise safety over speed, which means even a hoax threat can cause hours of delays, missed connections and significant costs for airlines and airports. The Warsaw closure, in particular, showed how a threat against an airport itself can disrupt an entire hub, not just a single flight.
Aviation security experts say hoax threats are a persistent problem because they are cheap to make — often via anonymous phone calls, emails or social media — but expensive to respond to. The challenge for authorities is to respond seriously to every threat while also identifying and prosecuting those who make false reports.
Why hoax bomb threats are rising across Europe
Hoax bomb threats against flights have increased in recent years, driven in part by the ease of making anonymous threats online and the attention they generate. In some cases, threats have been linked to geopolitical tensions, pranks or attempts to disrupt travel for political reasons.
European aviation authorities have warned that the number of hoax threats is rising, and that each incident diverts resources from genuine security work. The four incidents on November 3 are part of a broader pattern that has seen similar threats against schools, hospitals and transport hubs across the continent.
Prosecuting those responsible is difficult when threats are made anonymously or from abroad, but authorities in Poland, Spain, Bulgaria and Hungary have said they will pursue investigations and seek to identify the sources of the November 3 threats.
What happens next for the four investigations
Each of the four countries is now investigating its own incident, and it is not yet clear whether the threats will be linked. Police in Poland, Spain, Bulgaria and Hungary are examining how the threats were made, including phone records, email addresses and social media accounts.
If the threats are found to be coordinated, it could lead to a joint investigation or charges of making false bomb threats, which carry serious penalties in each country. Even if they are not linked, each case will be treated as a separate criminal offence.
For passengers, the incidents are a reminder of the disruption that hoax threats can cause, even when no one is harmed. Airlines and airports are likely to review their procedures, but the fundamental challenge — responding to every threat as if it were real — is unlikely to change.
Sources
USN reviewed reporting from multiple outlets for this story. Read more from TVP World, The Sun and LBC.