Seven reported bomb threats against European flights confirmed as false alarms – as it happened

• At least seven flights and a cruise ship in Europe received bomb threats, causing disruption at airports although ⁠no devices were discovered. At least two flights to Warsaw, two to Sofia, two to Rome and one to Murcia airport in Spain were subjected to the threats on Tuesday and another flight to Sofia had been threatened a day earlier. ⁠

• An airport in Warsaw was briefly ⁠shut and the Italian Air Force ​accompanied one of the flights to Rome, while an Israel-bound cruise ship was searched for bombs in Greece.

• Authorities diverted a LOT flight from London that was meant to land at Warsaw’s Chopin airport to nearby Modlin airport, which was closed and then reopened ​after the plane was searched and no device was found. Another Warsaw-bound flight, an ‌SAS flight from Copenhagen, landed at Chopin as ‌scheduled. Chopin airport said no device was found and the airport remained operational.

• Bomb threats were made against planes traveling from Milan/Bergamo and Dublin ‌to Sofia, Bulgaria’s transport ministry said in a statement to Reuters. Both landed safely and no explosive devices were found on inspection.

• The Bergamo flight was operated by Wizz Air and was carrying 176 passengers, the statement said. The Dublin flight, operated by Ryanair, had 186 passengers on board. Bulgarian news agency BTA had earlier quoted an interior ministry official as saying a flight from Israel had been affected, but authorities later said this was not the case.

• In Murcia in southeastern ‌Spain, parts of an airport were cordoned off after a bomb threat was reported on a Ryanair flight from Manchester. Officials said the report proved to be a hoax, and the airport resumed normal operations after authorities found no explosives on board.

• Two other Ryanair flights – one from Lisbon and another from Dublin – were searched at Rome’s Fiumicino airport following bomb threats, said a source from airport operator ADR. The Dublin flight was escorted by the Italian Air Force until it landed. The alert was cleared and the airport continued to operate as usual with no effects on other flights, the person said.

• An explosives detection dog and a diver searched the Panama-flagged Crown Iris cruise ship on the Greek island of Syros after an unknown person said an explosive device had ⁠been attached to the boat’s hull, authorities said. Initial checks found no explosive device with coast guard specialists expected to carry ​out further inspections before the ship could resume its voyage.

• Meanwhile, Czech public media workers went on a one-day strike to protest a government plan to overhaul how public broadcasters are funded. The legislation, led by populist billionaire turned prime minister Andrej Babiš, has been criticised as threatening the independence of the media organisations.

• Russia bombarded Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in waves on ⁠Tuesday, knocking out power to swathes of the country with dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones, a week before US-brokered peace talks were due to resume.

• At a ​press conference in Berlin with German chancellor Friedrich Merz, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack showed that ‌Moscow was intent on killing people instead of building ‌on the humanitarian ceasefire in and around Oleshky.

• Merz warned that the outcome of the war in Ukraine “will determine European security for a long time to come.” He said Germany will be coordinating with France and the UK, and will host a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Berlin later this month.

• The European Commission will host ⁠a meeting regarding Ukraine with representatives ⁠from the ⁠United ​States, Ukraine and its key European allies on Wednesday, Commission ⁠spokesperson Paula Pinho said. “So tomorrow the European ⁠Commission will host a ​meeting with representatives ‌from Ukraine, ‌from the United States, France, Germany, ‌the UK, Nato and the World Bank and this meeting will build on earlier talks that took place ‌in Miami,” Pinho told reporters in Brussels.

A bomb threat to an ⁠Israel-bound cruise ship prompted a security operation at the ⁠Greek island port of ⁠Syros after an unknown person claimed ⁠an explosive device had been attached to its hull, Greek authorities said.

The ⁠Panama-flagged Crown Iris was due ​to sail ‌to Haifa carrying ‌940 passengers and 597 crew ‌members when the threat was received, Reuters reported.

Coast guard personnel assisted by an explosives detection dog and a private diver searched the vessel, while ‌a special coast guard unit was deployed to the scene.

Initial ​checks found no explosive device. Coast guard specialists are expected to arrive at 9.30pm (7.30pm GMT) ⁠to carry out further inspections before the ​ship ​can resume its voyage.

Here are some images from earlier today as Czech public media workers went on a one-day strike to protest a government plan to overhaul how public broadcasters are funded.

The legislation, led by populist billionaire turned prime minister Andrej Babiš, has been criticised as threatening the independence of the media organisations. The plan led to street protests in Prague last month.

Under the plan, the country’s public radio and television would be financed from the state budget, not from an existing system of regular fees from individuals, households and businesses. The media would receive about 15% less money than they do now, which could likely lead to staff layoffs, limited production and program cancellations.

Critics say the overhaul would give the ruling three-party coalition the means to take control of the media, similar to what populist governments did in Slovakia under prime minister Robert Fico and in Hungary before former prime minister Viktor Orbán was ousted from power in April.

Michal Kubal, chief news editor at Czech Television, said the strike today is unprecedented in the history of Czech public service media.

On their TV screens, Czech residents on Tuesday saw an announcement saying:

We are doing everything we can to ensure that we can continue to provide a public service in its full scope and quality in the future.

The UK government confirmed that two of the planes affected had departed from British airports.

A spokesperson said:

The UK has one of the most robust aviation security systems in the world, with well-tested processes for dealing with any potential threats, as well as malicious hoax threats, like those we’ve seen today.

Our world-leading police and intelligence agencies work closely every day to keep us safe, using the tools they have to assess and respond to potential threats.

It’s also worth recalling some other similar incidents in the last few weeks.

On 18 October, an Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to ​Vienna diverted to Sofia ‌after a reported bomb ​threat while over Romania, Reuters said.

And yesterday, on 2 November, a WizzAir flight from London to Sofia was diverted to Budapest after a bomb threat (10:44).

Reuters is carrying a quick confirmation that the flight from Bergamo to Sofia in Bulgaria was operated by WizzAir, not Ryanair.

This has also been updated in the tally at the top of the page.

Bringing it all together, seven bomb threats have now been reported in total:

• LOT Polish Airlines flight from London Heathrow, UK to Warsaw Okęcie, diverted to Warsaw Modlin, Poland (10:33, 10:58, 12:00, 13:57).

• SAS flight from Copenhagen, Denmark to Warsaw Okęcie (11:33, 12:59).

• Ryanair flight from Manchester, UK to Murcia, Spain (12:44, 13:44)

• Ryanair flight from Lisbon, Portugal to Rome, Italy (15:02)

• Ryanair flight from Dublin, Ireland to Rome, Italy

• WizzAir flight from Bergamo, Italy to Sofia, Bulgaria (15:41)

• Ryanair flight from Dublin, Ireland to Sofia, Bulgaria

All seven have been confirmed to be false alarms.

There is also an update from Bulgaria, with the country’s transport ministry telling Reuters the bomb threats were actually made against two planes from Bergamo in Italy and Dublin in Ireland, and not from Israel as previously reported.

That brings the total to seven planes (that we know of).

Back to Berlin, Ukraine’s Zelenskyy also rejects Russia’s suggestion of a meeting in Moscow as “counterproductive.” He says what’s needed is serious talks, and not a gimmick.

He also insists that Russia has no advantage on the frontline at the moment.

Merz then adds that the 19 November meeting will decide further support for Ukraine in 2027, and that concludes the press.

Meanwhile, two more false bomb threats were reported in Italy involving Ryanair flights from Lisbon and Dublin to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, according to the Italian newspapers La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera.

The plane from Dublin was escorted by two Italian air force fighter jets, newspaper reported.

In both cases, routine checks were confirmed as negative, meaning no threat was identified, SkyTG24 said.

That brings the total of flights affected by false alarms today to at least six, up from four reported earlier (that we know of).

Asked about his expectations for the Abu Dhabi talks, Zelenskyy says he hopes to see future security guarantees for Ukraine to be covered, alongside a “prosperity package” that would help with the reconstruction of Ukraine.

He also says he hopes to discuss a proposal on energy, Black Sea truce, which is “in the interest of not only Ukraine, but also Russia and various nations in Africa.”

He reiterates that “there can be no stable peace unless Europe is at the negotiating table.”

Merz for his part says that “it is crucial for Russia to finally engage in serious negotiations.”

Responding, Zelenskyy thanks Germany for its continued help, including on air defence, and says that while many people will be following the events in the US today’s midterm elections, “the role of Europe – and specifically Germany – remains crucial.”

He says he briefed Merz on the latest attacks on Ukraine.

He also confirms the upcoming Abu Dhabi talks on 10-11 November (11:21), which he says hopefully “will pave the way for a trilateral meeting at the level of heads of states and government.”

He also confirms further talks on Ukraine will be held in Brussels on Wednesday (12:41), as per the European Commission’s announcement earlier, and that the coalition of the willing will meet in Berlin on 19 November.

Germany’s Merz begins by saying Zelenskyy’s visit comes “at a critical moment” as Russian attacks on Ukraine continued with “undiminished – indeed, increasing – severity and ruthlessness.”

He says Ukraine “can continue to rely on Germany,” with more support from Berlin in the coming months, including on air defence, energy, and broader winter-related aid.

Merz also warns that the outcome of the war in Ukraine “will determine European security for a long time to come.”

He says Germany will be coordinating with France and the UK, and will host a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Berlin later this month.

The German chancellor also talks of growing concerns about the broader effects of the continuing war, including a potential “global food crisis” triggered by Russia’s continued attacks on trading routes in the Black Sea.

He says the upcoming Abu Dhabi talks are “the right step forward,” and Europe hopes to play its part.

In the meantime, Berlin and partners will “increase the pressure on Moscow and continue to support Ukraine,” he says.