Warsaw airports resume after double bomb threat

Warsaw-Modlin airport reopened on Tuesday, November 3, after a brief suspension of operations caused by a bomb threat alert aboard a London-bound aircraft.

The alert originated at 9:54 a.m. on a Boeing 737 MAX operating between Heathrow and Warsaw-Chopin. The flight diverted to Modlin and touched down at 10:01 a.m., seven minutes after the announcement was made to passengers.

Polish airline LOT confirmed the aircraft was part of its fleet. The airport stated that 181 people were aboard the plane. Security services began an evacuation procedure while the aircraft remained on the ground for inspection.

Modlin initially announced it would stay closed until further notice to allow security teams to verify the threat. The airport later reported that operations had resumed, although the aircraft was still undergoing checks by relevant services. Passengers and crew members waited in the arrivals hall for further instructions.

A second incident occurred simultaneously at Warsaw-Chopin airport. An SAS flight traveling from Copenhagen received a reported bomb threat and landed at Chopin for examination. A spokesperson for Chopin stated that the airport remained open during the checks on the Copenhagen aircraft.

The two incidents affected different parts of Warsaw's aviation infrastructure. Chopin is located within the city limits, while Modlin serves mostly budget carriers and sits roughly 36 kilometers from the capital. The divergent responses highlighted the specific protocols at play, with Modlin closing entirely while Chopin continued normal operations alongside the security sweep.

The timeline provided by Modlin details the sequence of events from the initial alert to the final reopening. The airport's update clarified that the resumption of service did not mean the investigation was complete. The Boeing 737 MAX remained the subject of ongoing scrutiny by security personnel even as the terminal doors reopened to the public.