WMI: Warsaw Modlin Briefly Closed After Bomb Threat on Diverted LOT Flight

WARSAW, Poland — November 3, 2026 — Warsaw Modlin Airport (WMI) shut temporarily on Tuesday morning, November 3, after a LOT Polish Airlines flight from London Heathrow diverted there following a bomb threat. A second threat was reported on an SAS flight from Copenhagen, which landed as planned at Warsaw Chopin (WAW). Chopin kept operating, and Modlin later said it had resumed operations.

What happened

LOT flight: a LOT Boeing 737 MAX flying London Heathrow–Warsaw Chopin received a bomb threat alert at 9:54 a.m. local time. It diverted to Modlin and landed at 10:01 a.m. with 181 people on board. Passengers were evacuated and explosives teams checked the aircraft. No flight number was published.
Modlin closure: the airport first said it was closed “until further notice.” Reuters, via ABC News, and Kursiv later reported that it had resumed operations, though the area around the aircraft stayed restricted during checks. Exact reopening time: TBA.
SAS flight: an SAS flight from Copenhagen to Warsaw Chopin also received a threat. It landed normally and was checked by security. Polish authorities said the threat on the SAS flight was not confirmed. Kursiv, citing The Times, put about 60 passengers on board and said the aircraft briefly closed the runway during the inspection; other sources did not mention a runway closure.
Chopin (WAW): kept operating throughout, according to the airport.
Elsewhere in Europe the same day: Reuters reported four flights targeted in all, including a Ryanair flight from Manchester that made an emergency landing at Murcia, Spain (121 people on board), and a flight from Israel that landed at Sofia, Bulgaria, after an emailed threat. A Wizz Air flight from London Luton made an emergency landing in Budapest after a threat the day before.
Findings: no source reported anything found on either Warsaw aircraft. Whether the threats were linked: TBA.

What it means for non-revs

Modlin is mainly a low-cost airport, so the closure mostly affected short-haul European flights. Expect knock-on delays to flights scheduled in and out of WMI on Tuesday morning.
LOT’s London–Warsaw rotation may run late or be re-timed after the aircraft was held at Modlin for checks. If you are listing on LOT between Heathrow and Warsaw, check the status before you head to the airport.
Allow extra time for security. After a string of threats across Europe in two days, airports may add checks at short notice.
Diversions can strand you at the wrong airport. Modlin is about 36 km from Warsaw. Keep a little cash or a ride-hailing app ready in case your flight ends up there.

Sources

ABC News (Australia), with Reuters — “Four flights across Europe targeted by bomb threats” (November 3, 2026) — abc.net.au
Türkiye Today — “Two Warsaw-bound flights face bomb threats as Modlin Airport closes” (November 3, 2026) — turkiyetoday.com
Kursiv Media — “Warsaw airport shuts down as two flights get bomb threats” (November 3, 2026) — uz.kursiv.media