An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to the military base at Évreux in France following a bomb threat, French officials confirmed on Thursday.
The French prime minister’s office announced the rerouting after the plane, initially on a normal trajectory across the English Channel, abruptly changed course near Paris. Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the aircraft veering southwest of the French capital, circling Chartres airport before heading to Évreux, a military airfield roughly 100 kilometres northwest of Paris.
At the time of the diversion, no aircraft had departed from Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) for over 30 minutes, Flightradar24 reported. The Dublin-to-Rome flight had been expected to land in Rome before the threat was made known.
Details about the nature of the threat or how it was received by authorities have not been disclosed. It remains unclear whether explosives were found after the plane landed at the Évreux base or if the threat was later deemed unsubstantiated.
Aer Lingus and French authorities have not issued further statements. The flight’s passengers and crew were subject to security procedures on landing, as is standard in such situations, though no injuries or incidents have been reported.
The diversion to a military facility rather than a civilian airport suggests heightened caution by French officials. Évreux is equipped to handle emergency landings and security checks away from the public eye, a protocol used in past bomb threat responses.
Flights into and out of Rome’s Fiumicino Airport were disrupted in the immediate aftermath, according to flight tracking data. The airport is one of Europe’s busiest hubs, handling millions of passengers annually.
Bomb threats on commercial flights remain a serious concern for European aviation security. Airlines and authorities follow strict protocols, including rerouting and emergency landings, to minimise risk to passengers and ground personnel.
The investigation into the threat and subsequent response by French and Irish authorities is ongoing. No further details have been released on the identity of those responsible for the threat or the outcome of security checks at Évreux.
This incident adds to a series of aviation security alerts across Europe in recent months, though it is not yet clear if it is linked to any broader pattern. Authorities continue to monitor airspace closely.
According to The Guardian.
