Two passenger flights bound for Warsaw landed under heavy security on Tuesday morning after separate bomb threats. A LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 from London Heathrow diverted to Warsaw Modlin. Separately, an SAS Airbus A320neo from Copenhagen landed at Warsaw Chopin as planned.
Both aircraft touched down safely. However, at the time of writing, authorities had not said whether either threat was genuine.
LOT Flight LO286 Diverts to Warsaw Modlin
LO286 was heading from Heathrow to Warsaw Chopin when the alert came. According to a Modlin Airport statement carried by Reuters, the bomb threat alert sounded on board at 09:54 local time. The 737 MAX then touched down at Modlin just seven minutes later, at 10:01.
There were 181 people on board. The jet still carried around 3.7 tonnes of fuel when it landed, Pasazer.com reports.
After landing, the aircraft taxied to a designated, isolated stand. There, it awaited police bomb disposal teams. Meanwhile, passengers left the aircraft and gathered in the arrivals hall.
Modlin spokesperson Adam Szabłowski confirmed the closure, telling reporters that staff were waiting for bomb disposal experts to arrive.
LOT operated the service with SP-LVK, a 737 MAX 8 that joined the carrier’s register in December 2022. The jet has also worn a special Krosno livery.
Modlin Shuts to All Traffic
Warsaw Modlin closed until further notice while checks continued. The airport sits about 36 km from the Polish capital and mainly serves budget airlines, Reuters noted.
The shutdown lasted close to two hours, according to money.pl. As a result, a flight due in from Edinburgh diverted to Poznań instead.
Flight operations have since resumed. Even so, the LOT aircraft remained under inspection, with passengers and crew still waiting in the arrivals hall.
SAS Flight SK751 Checked at Warsaw Chopin
At the same time, Warsaw Chopin faced a second threat. SK751, the SAS morning service from Copenhagen, touched down at around 09:29, a few minutes early, according to Miejski Reporter.
The Guardian understands the airport received a report of a potentially dangerous item on board the SAS jet. Security services then began assessing the aircraft.
Chopin spokesperson Piotr Rudzki told Gazeta Wyborcza that the landing itself was a scheduled one. He added that all passengers had already left the aircraft.
Danish newspaper BT carried pictures of sniffer dogs working near the jet. One passenger told the paper that the captain said someone had phoned in a threat against the flight.
Unlike Modlin, Warsaw Chopin stayed open throughout. SAS operated the flight with SE-ROG, an A320neo that has flown for the airline since late 2019.
Why Divert to Modlin?
Neither LOT nor the airports have explained why the jet went to Modlin rather than its planned destination. However, the decision follows a familiar pattern.
Warsaw Chopin is LOT’s hub and sits inside the city limits. Modlin, by contrast, handles a lighter schedule dominated by budget carriers. Sending a threatened aircraft to a quieter airfield keeps it away from a busy terminal and dense traffic. It also protects the national carrier’s main base from wider disruption.
The seven minute gap between the alert and touchdown also stands out. It suggests the crew was already close to the capital and well placed for a rapid descent into Modlin.
The fuel figure matters too. The 737 MAX 8 has no fuel dumping system. Because the jet arrived late in its sector with a light load, the crew could land at once.
What Happens Next in Warsaw
Pyrotechnic teams will now check the aircraft and passenger baggage. Until they finish, the LOT passengers face an uncertain wait in the Modlin terminal. At the time of writing, LOT had not said when they would finally reach Warsaw Chopin.
Modlin has handled this kind of incident before. A previous anonymous threat against a Ryanair 737 closed the airport to inbound flights. Ryanair later said officials believed it was a hoax.
For now, authorities have not said whether the two Warsaw threats are linked. The Aviation Hub will update this story as more details emerge. You can also follow live incident coverage on our Squawk 7700 desk.
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