Bomb threats force Aer Lingus flight to land at Evreux air base

An Airbus A320 operated by Irish carrier Aer Lingus was diverted to the Évreux air base in northern France on Thursday morning after a bomb alert. The aircraft, flying from Dublin to Rome, landed around 10:00 local time after being escorted by French air force Rafale and Mirage fighter jets.

All 151 passengers and six crew members were taken to a secure area after landing and were offered refreshments. Bomb disposal teams began searching the aircraft while the government monitored the situation in real time.

“We are following the situation in real time as provided for by procedures.”

The incident was part of a wider wave of threats across Europe on Thursday. According to AFP, at least twelve European flights were disrupted by bomb alerts that morning, following similar warnings that had affected at least seven planes and a cruise ship two days earlier.

Other airlines named in the reports included Finnair, Wizz Air and LOT Polish Airlines. In Bulgaria, three planes were forced to land, including flights from Copenhagen and Madrid at Sofia and a London flight at Plovdiv. In the Czech Republic, four aircraft bound for Prague were also targeted.

No suspicious device had been found on any of the targeted aircraft by midday, and none of the threats had been confirmed. Authorities said the checks were part of operational measures to protect French airspace and sovereignty.

Passengers were being assisted by the airline to reach their final destination as quickly as possible, though the exact departure arrangements from Évreux remained unclear while verification work continued.