LONDON — An Aer Lingus flight traveling from Dublin to Rome was compelled to make an emergency landing at a French Air Force base on Thursday due to a bomb threat that put the safety of its 151 passengers and six crew members at risk.
The flight, designated EI402, diverted to Normandy around midday as a precautionary measure, as confirmed by Aer Lingus in an official statement. Fortunately, the aircraft landed without incident.
The situation was closely monitored by French authorities, including Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office, which acknowledged the ongoing “bomb alert” and prompted a specialized security response. A bomb squad was promptly deployed to the Évreux-Fauville Air and Space Force base, where the plane successfully landed. Following the landing, all individuals aboard were evacuated to a secure location.
Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 indicated that the Airbus A320 was flying at 37,000 feet, just west of Paris, about an hour into its journey before it began descending and subsequently landed at the military facility.
This incident marks only one of many safety concerns in Europe, as reports suggest that at least nine flights have encountered similar bomb threats within the week. Several airlines have had to reroute flights, and even an airport in Poland temporarily closed operations due to a safety scare. Authorities across multiple nations have reported that no explosives have been discovered in connection with these threats.
In a separate event earlier this week, a bomb threat led to heightened security measures at the Greek island port of Syros, involving a claim that an explosive device was affixed to a cruise ship, the Crown Iris, which was set to depart for Haifa.
As of now, no parties have emerged to claim responsibility for the spate of bomb threats, and authorities have not identified any suspects related to these incidents.
