Dublin–Rome flight diverted to French military base over bomb threat
An Aer Lingus aircraft flying from Dublin to Rome was rerouted to Evreux in Normandy on Thursday after a bomb threat. It came a day after about 10 European flights were targeted by similar threats.
A passenger plane travelling from Dublin, Ireland, to Rome, Italy, was rerouted to France on Thursday following a bomb threat, the French government said. The flight was sent to a French base at Evreux in Normandy. The office of French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is monitoring the situation. No further details were released immediately.
According to the flight-tracking site Flightradar24, the Aer Lingus aircraft turned near Paris and circled over the Evreux area after declaring an in-flight emergency.
Earlier incidents
The episode followed a wave of threats a day earlier, when some 10 European flights were targeted. On Tuesday, a Warsaw airport was briefly closed and air force planes were scrambled in Rome, authorities said.
At least seven flights and a cruise ship in Europe received bomb threats that day, disrupting airports, though no devices were found. The airlines affected included Poland's LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air and Ryanair. The hoax threats came a day after a plane bound for Bulgaria was diverted to Hungary following a similar threat made while it was in the air. Nobody was injured.
Wider context
Bomb threats are not new, but they come amid heightened geopolitical tensions. Cited examples of signs of disruption include attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems, drone incursions in Europe and mysterious triggers of alert apps. Authorities have warned that hybrid threats are widespread.
