Several European airports heightened security measures on Tuesday after receiving bomb threats involving passenger aircraft in Spain, Poland and Bulgaria. Authorities launched investigations and conducted security inspections following the reported incidents.
In Spain, security officials began inspecting a Ryanair aircraft after it received a bomb threat upon arriving from Manchester at Murcia International Airport. Spanish government representative Francisco Lucas confirmed that security protocols had been activated.
All 114 passengers and seven crew members safely left the aircraft and underwent security checks. Authorities also began examining the plane for possible explosives. Despite the incident, airport operator Aena confirmed that other flights continued operating normally.
Meanwhile, Poland temporarily suspended operations at Warsaw Modlin Airport following a bomb threat involving a flight from London. The Boeing 737 MAX, which was originally scheduled to land at Warsaw Chopin Airport from Heathrow, was redirected to Modlin.
The aircraft landed at 10:01 a.m. local time with 181 people aboard. Security personnel moved it to a designated location for inspection. Passengers were instructed to leave the aircraft and wait inside the airport’s arrivals terminal while investigations continued.
In Bulgaria, security forces were deployed at Sofia Airport after an aircraft arriving from Israel received a bomb threat through email. According to Bulgarian media reports, the plane made an emergency landing, prompting counterterrorism officers to inspect it.
Authorities initially withheld information about the airline, passenger numbers and the specific details of the threat. It also remained unclear whether the warning indicated the presence of an explosive device.
The latest incident followed two similar security alerts involving flights to Bulgaria. On Monday, a Wizz Air aircraft travelling from London to Sofia was diverted to Budapest after receiving a bomb threat. Inspections found no explosives, allowing the aircraft to resume its journey.
Earlier, on October 18, an Austrian Airlines flight travelling from Tel Aviv to Vienna was redirected to Sofia following another bomb warning. Bulgarian MiG-29 fighter jets escorted the aircraft before security checks cleared it to continue towards Vienna.
Authorities across the three countries are investigating the latest threats as European airports maintain heightened security precautions.
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