False Bomb Threats Disrupt European Flights and Temporarily Close Airports

The disruption began before Tuesday's wider series of alerts. On November 2, a Wizz Air flight travelling from London to Sofia diverted to Budapest after a bomb threat, according to CNN Brasil. Budapest was the diversion airport, not the flight's intended destination.

Hungary provided a fighter jet to escort the aircraft, TGcom24 reported, citing the Hungarian defence minister. A subsequent search found no threatening risk, and the plane was cleared to continue to Sofia, according to HVG.

On November 3, threats disrupted two flights bound for Warsaw. A LOT aircraft travelling from London Heathrow to Warsaw Chopin was diverted to Warsaw Modlin, according to Global News. An SAS Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen was also targeted, The Hindu reported.

Warsaw Modlin temporarily closed. It reopened around midday, while the Copenhagen flight was checked at Warsaw Chopin, according to CBC News.

In Spain, a threat involving a Ryanair flight from Manchester prompted security procedures at Murcia airport, El Confidencial reported. The airport later reopened after being closed for more than two hours, according to Infobae.

The alerts also reached flights serving Sofia. Deutsche Welle reported a threat involving a flight from Israel to the Bulgarian capital. Separately, NDTV reported that Bulgaria's transport ministry identified a Wizz Air flight from Milan/Bergamo to Sofia as another target on November 3.

In Rome, two Ryanair aircraft were escorted by fighter jets and searched at Fiumicino. Checks of the aircraft, passengers and baggage were negative, according to TGcom24.

No devices were found in the disrupted flights, according to Reuters. The Local reported that all the affected planes landed safely, citing authorities.

The reported scale varies. The Guardian described four affected planes, while Il Post reported seven and RTBF described about ten flights. The supplied reports do not fully reconcile those totals, but consistently describe disruption across several countries rather than a single isolated alert.

The airport closures in Warsaw Modlin and Murcia had ended in the available coverage. The threats nevertheless required searches, diversions and temporary restrictions even though no explosives were discovered.

The central unanswered questions are who sent the warnings and whether they were coordinated. nu.nl reported that the source of the threats was unknown, while Il Post said it was not known whether the incidents were connected. The supplied coverage gives no timetable for resolving those questions.