A wave of suspected bomb threats hit at least seven passenger flights across Europe in a single day, forcing diversions, fighter jet escorts and temporary airport closures — while a separate alert led to the evacuation of a cruise ship in the Aegean. No explosives were found in any of the incidents, which authorities in the UK described as malicious hoaxes.
The airlines caught up in Tuesday's scare included Ryanair, LOT, SAS and Wizz Air, with aircraft inspected in Italy, Poland, Spain and Bulgaria. In Italy, two Ryanair flights arriving in Rome — one from Lisbon, one from Dublin — were searched after threats, with Italian Air Force Eurofighters scrambled to escort the Dublin service into Fiumicino. Police checked passengers, crew and baggage and came up empty.
Poland saw a LOT flight from London Heathrow to Warsaw diverted to Modlin Airport, which closed temporarily while the aircraft was searched. An SAS service from Copenhagen to Warsaw landed normally at Chopin Airport, where one runway was shut during checks. In Spain, a Ryanair flight from Manchester to Murcia carrying 121 people was inspected, and two aircraft arriving in Sofia, Bulgaria from Bergamo and Dublin were examined on arrival. Again, nothing was found.
The incidents came a day after a Hungarian fighter jet escorted a Wizz Air flight diverted from London Luton following a bomb threat. Aviation security experts say the pattern — credible threats spread across multiple airlines in a short window — is unusual and likely deliberate, whether the work of a single actor, copycats, or something tied to hybrid warfare. Officials have not confirmed whether the threats are connected, and security specialists advised travellers not to be alarmed.
Separately, the Crown Iris, a Panama-flagged cruise ship operated by an Israeli company, was evacuated at the Greek island of Syros after an anonymous claim that an explosive device was attached to its hull. The vessel, carrying 940 passengers and 597 crew, was due to sail to Haifa. A search found nothing suspicious. Reports noted the ship's Greek port calls have previously drawn protests linked to the Gaza war.
For anyone flying in or around Europe this week, the practical takeaway is straightforward: expect possible delays, diversions and airport disruption if further threats materialise, and build buffer time into any tight connections. These events are a reminder of how quickly aviation security protocols — escorts, runway closures, terminal checks — can ripple through a travel day. The vast majority of alerts prove false, and authorities across the affected countries responded and cleared aircraft within hours. Travellers with flights on the affected carriers or routes should monitor airline notifications and allow extra time at busy hubs like Rome Fiumicino and Warsaw Chopin until the situation settles.
