Flight EI402 from Dublin to Rome was diverted to Évreux military base after a hoax bomb threat; two fighter jets escorted the plane and both pilots were questioned before being allowed to leave France.
An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to a French military air base on Thursday after a hoax bomb threat, and two fighter jets were scrambled to escort the aircraft to Évreux base in Normandy.
Flight EI402 departed Dublin on Thursday morning bound for Rome. French authorities said the pilot initially refused to comply with a request to land at Évreux, and two fighter jets were dispatched to compel the aircraft to land there.
Rémi Coutin, public prosecutor for Évreux, said in a statement to The Irish Times that he launched a probe after being "informed that the pilot of the aircraft had initially refused to comply with the French authorities' request to land at Évreux, and that two fighter jets had to be dispatched to compel him to do so".
Passengers on the flight described seeing the fighter jets alongside the plane as "terrifying".
The pilot and co-pilot were questioned in France and have been authorised to leave French territory following their interviews. Coutin said the investigation is ongoing and aims to establish whether the request to land was refused and "whether this behaviour was likely to constitute one or more criminal offences".
The aircraft's black box is to be examined as part of the investigation. Passengers were disembarked at Évreux and their baggage was searched; no explosives were found.
Aer Lingus said in a statement: "The captain and crew on Aer Lingus flight EI402 acted impeccably and were thoroughly professional throughout yesterday's security issue. Safety and the care of our passengers is Aer Lingus' top priority and this was upheld professionally by the captain and crew of the aircraft throughout in what were very challenging circumstances."
The Irish Airline Pilots Association said the questioning was generally standard procedure and that the pilots cooperated fully with French authorities. Union president Captain Daniel Langan said Ialpa was "fully satisfied that the pilots discharged their legal and safety responsibilities to the fullest extent and acted professionally throughout."
The Aer Lingus flight was one of several subjected to bomb hoaxes across Europe in recent days. Inquiries are continuing after almost 30 flights across Europe were disrupted by hoax bomb threats on Thursday, and officials reported more threats against multiple flights on Friday.
French prime minister Sebastien Lecornu's office said on Friday that "four new bomb threats were made today against aircraft flying over French territory". The planes landed safely and bomb disposal experts were conducting inspections.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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