Aer Lingus Flight Diverted to French Airbase After False Bomb Threat
An Aer Lingus flight carrying passengers from Dublin to Rome was forced to land at the Évreux airbase on Thursday following a false bomb threat. French authorities questioned the Irish pilot and British co-pilot before allowing them to leave after questioning.
The incident unfolded as nearly 30 flights across Europe faced disruption from a wave of hoax bomb threats on Thursday and Friday. Enquiries remain active, Évreux public prosecutor Rémi Coutin informed The Irish Times, following Thursday discussions between French officials and the pilots prompted by reports that the captain initially declined an instruction to touch down at the Évreux facility.
Flight EI402 Forced to Land at Évreux Airbase
Flight EI402 departed Dublin on Thursday morning bound for Rome before authorities received a bomb threat. A copy of the threat sent to Italian airports, published by Italian news agency Ansa, claimed an explosive was placed aboard the Dublin flight and another from Helsinki as an attack against a feminist regime.
The aircraft was forced to land at the Évreux base after the pilot initially refused to comply with the request to land. Passengers disembarked while their baggage was searched. No explosives were found, and no injuries were reported.
Aer Lingus defended the crew’s actions in a Friday statement, declaring that the captain and crew acted impeccably and professionally under challenging circumstances. The Irish Airline Pilots Association (Ialpa) echoed that support. Union president Captain Daniel Langan stated that the pilots cooperated fully and discharged their legal and safety responsibilities to the fullest extent under Irish and applicable local laws.
Bomb Threats Disrupt Flights Across Europe
The Évreux incident occurred amid a broader wave of security alerts targeting aviation infrastructure across Europe. French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office reported four new bomb threats on Friday against aircraft flying over French territory. All those planes landed safely for inspections.
- Euronews reported that a security alert was triggered on a Rome-to-Lisbon Ryanair service following an anonymous phone call placed to the Fiumicino Airport control tower in Rome that cautioned about a potential explosive device onboard. The aircraft landed at Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport.
- A Wizz Air flight traveling from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice after a bomb alert, where it landed.
- Romanian carrier Tarom operated a flight from Prague to Bucharest that received a bomb threat before landing safely at its intended destination.
- Police in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Prague, Czech Republic, deployed personnel to airports for a second consecutive day to investigate precautionary threats against air traffic that officials confirmed caused minimal impact on normal operations.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee called the disruptions extremely concerning, arriving just a week before more than 50 European leaders gather in Dublin for major summits. Authorities across Europe continue to investigate the source of the hoaxes, noting that fake bomb threats are relatively common but unusual to see so many in such a short period.
Questions Regarding the European Aviation Security Alerts
Why was the Aer Lingus flight forced to land at the Évreux airbase?
French investigators spoke to the pilots after being told that the pilot of Flight EI402 had initially refused to comply with a request to land at the Évreux base. The aircraft’s black box is to be examined as part of the ongoing investigation.
Were any explosives found on the grounded aircraft in France?
No explosives were discovered. Passengers were disembarked at the Évreux base, and their baggage was searched before the aircraft was cleared.
Are European authorities linking these bomb threats to a specific group?
EU officials have stated it is too early to determine whether the incidents are linked. However, the threats coincide with heightened geopolitical tensions and warnings from authorities that Russia may be escalating hybrid threats across Europe.