Bomb threats hit seven flights and a cruise ship across Europe, and no device was found

At least seven flights and one cruise ship in Europe received bomb threats on Tuesday, November 3, forcing searches, a diversion and a partial airport cordon. According to Reuters, no explosive device was found, no one has claimed responsibility and officials have not blamed anyone.

The flights, one by one

• Warsaw (two flights). A LOT Polish Airlines flight from London bound for Chopin airport was diverted to Modlin. Modlin closed, then reopened once a search found nothing. An SAS flight from Copenhagen landed at Chopin as scheduled; the airport said no device was found and it stayed open.
• Sofia (two flights). Bulgaria's transport ministry said a Wizz Air flight from Milan/Bergamo with 176 passengers and a Ryanair flight from Dublin with 186 passengers both landed safely with no explosives found. Bulgarian news agency BTA had earlier reported that an Israel-origin flight was affected. Authorities later said that was not the case.
• Rome Fiumicino (two flights). A source at airport operator ADR told Reuters that two Ryanair flights, from Lisbon and from Dublin, were searched. The Dublin flight was escorted by the Italian Air Force until it landed. The alert was cleared and the airport kept operating normally.
• Murcia, Spain (one flight). A Ryanair flight from Manchester led to a partial cordon of the airport. Officials described the threat as a hoax and found no explosives. Ryanair declined immediate comment.

None of the airlines involved replied to Reuters' requests for comment at the time of its report.

The cruise ship

The Panama-flagged Crown Iris was searched at the Greek island of Syros after an unknown person said an explosive device was attached to its hull, according to Greek authorities cited by Reuters. The ship was due to sail to Haifa, Israel, with 940 passengers and 597 crew. The coast guard, an explosives-detection dog and a private diver carried out the first search, and a special coast guard unit was sent to the scene. Initial checks found nothing. Coast guard specialists were expected at 21:30 Greek time (19:30 GMT) for further inspections before the voyage could resume. Baird Maritime, carrying the Reuters report, identifies the operator as Israeli cruise line Mano Maritime and says the Crown Iris is its only passenger liner, running between Haifa and Greek and Cypriot island ports.

Confirmed and not confirmed

Confirmed: threats were received against the flights and the ship listed above on November 3; the Modlin closure and reopening; the Italian Air Force escort of the Dublin to Rome flight; and that no explosives were found in the searches reported so far.

Not known: who made the threats and why; whether they are connected; how long Chopin or Modlin was disrupted; the result of the final Crown Iris inspection and when it will sail; and whether the Wizz Air flight from London to Sofia that Hungary's defence minister, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, said on Facebook had been diverted to Budapest on the previous day belongs to the same pattern. Reuters did not tie it to Tuesday's seven.

Are the threats linked?

No official has said so. The pattern is unusual: Rhys Jones of aviation risk firm Osprey Flight Solutions called seven confirmed threats in a single day "exceptional." Reuters noted that European officials have accused Russia and Iran of "hybrid attacks" and sabotage, which both deny, and that unidentified hackers shut down supermarket refrigeration systems in several European countries the same week. Some experts suggested the hoax threats could be a similar low-cost, deniable tactic. That is an expert suggestion, not a finding: no government has attributed these threats to any country or group.

What it means for travelers

Disruption on Tuesday appears to have been short. Chopin and Fiumicino stayed open, the Sofia flights landed safely and Modlin reopened. The practical effects are the usual ones after a security alert: a diverted aircraft needs a new slot, crew hours and sometimes a bus transfer, and a flight searched on arrival can run late into its return leg. If you are booked on one of the affected routes in the next day or two, check your airline's app before leaving for the airport, and keep receipts if a diversion leaves you out of pocket. Ask your airline what it will cover if a diversion leaves you stranded.

For Crown Iris passengers, the open question is the departure time for Haifa. Mano Maritime and the Greek coast guard are the places to look for updates.

We will update this story as officials release more information. See our travel section for related coverage.

Sources: Reuters, November 3, 2026, as republished by Internazionale and ThePrint; Baird Maritime. Figures are as reported by Reuters and may change. This is news information, not investment advice.