Security alerts disrupted both airports serving the Polish capital on Tuesday, 3 November, after separate bomb threats were reported aboard passenger aircraft arriving from London and Copenhagen. Warsaw-Modlin Airport was closed after a LOT Polish Airlines flight carrying 181 people diverted there from London Heathrow. Meanwhile, an SAS aircraft arriving from Copenhagen underwent security checks at Warsaw Chopin Airport, where passengers were reportedly assisted off the plane. Authorities confirmed that Chopin Airport itself remained operational.
The incidents prompted security responses at both airports, with specialist personnel investigating reports of possible explosive devices.
Neither threat had been confirmed as genuine in the latest information available.
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The two incidents were reported within a short period on Tuesday morning, although authorities have not established any connection between them.
Flight from London diverted as Modlin airport closes
The first incident involved LOT Polish Airlines flight LO286, operating from London Heathrow to Warsaw Chopin Airport.
Following information about a possible explosive device aboard the aircraft, the Boeing 737 MAX was redirected to Warsaw-Modlin Airport.
According to an official statement from Warsaw-Modlin Airport reported by the Polish Press Agency, the alert was declared at 09:54 Polish time.
The aircraft landed safely seven minutes later, at 10:01.
There were 181 people aboard, including passengers and crew.
After landing, the aircraft was directed to a designated secure area while security personnel prepared to inspect the plane and its contents.
Passengers were subsequently permitted to disembark and wait in the airport terminal.
The airport announced that operations had been suspended until further notice while the reported threat was investigated.
Jacek Kowalski, the airport’s chief executive, told Polish media that the aircraft had landed safely and that security services were working to establish whether the threat was credible.
The closure affected Warsaw’s secondary airport, situated approximately 36 kilometres north-west of the capital.
Passengers evacuated from SAS aircraft at Warsaw Chopin
A separate security alert was reported at Warsaw Chopin Airport, Poland’s largest international airport.
The incident concerned an SAS Scandinavian Airlines flight arriving from Copenhagen.
According to Reuters’ reporting on the two incidents, the aircraft landed at Chopin Airport and was subjected to security checks following a reported bomb threat.
British media, citing Danish reporting, said passengers were being assisted off the aircraft while emergency services attended the scene.
Security personnel, including officers wearing protective equipment, were reported near the aircraft.
An SAS spokesperson confirmed that the crew had received information about a threat and that established security procedures were being followed.
However, there is an important distinction between the situation at the two airports.
Warsaw Chopin Airport was not closed in its entirety.
Airport representatives confirmed that operations were continuing, although temporary organisational changes were introduced while the affected aircraft underwent checks.
The response at Chopin therefore involved an individual aircraft and associated security procedures, rather than a confirmed airport-wide evacuation or suspension of all flights.
Two security alerts, but no confirmed explosives
The incidents led to heightened security activity at both airports during Tuesday morning.
However, the reported bomb threats had not been substantiated by confirmed discoveries of explosive devices in the information available at the time of writing.
Authorities were continuing to determine the circumstances in which the warnings were received.
There was also no publicly established evidence linking the threats involving the LOT and SAS aircraft.
The incidents followed a separate aviation security alert on Monday, 2 November.
A Wizz Air flight travelling from London Luton to Sofia was diverted to Budapest after receiving a bomb threat.
The aircraft landed safely, and subsequent checks found no bomb, according to reporting on that incident.
Although the incidents occurred within two days and involved aircraft departing from European airports, officials have not established that they formed part of a coordinated campaign.
What should passengers travelling through Warsaw do?
The disruption at Warsaw-Modlin could affect departures and arrivals scheduled while the airport remained closed.
Passengers travelling through Modlin should check the latest information directly with their airline and the airport’s official departures and arrivals information.
At Chopin Airport, operations were continuing despite the security checks surrounding the SAS flight.
Travellers should therefore avoid assuming that both Warsaw airports have suspended flights.
At the time of the latest official statements reviewed for this report, authorities had not confirmed when the investigations would conclude or whether further operational restrictions would be necessary.
Both aircraft involved in Tuesday’s alerts landed safely.
The immediate priority for security services remained determining whether either reported threat was credible and restoring normal operations wherever restrictions had been imposed.
