Bomb Threats Divert European Flights as Dublin-Rome Jet Lands at French Base

An Aer Lingus jet flying from Dublin to Rome was diverted Thursday to a military air base in Evreux, in France’s Normandy region, after a bomb threat, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office said, according to the Associated Press and Deutsche Welle.

The Airbus A320, flight EI402, landed safely with 151 passengers and six crew members on board, the AP and the Irish Independent reported. A bomb squad was in place to inspect the aircraft, the Irish Independent said, citing French officials.

France’s air force said it sent aircraft as soon as the threat was reported. “The aircraft has been diverted and is being escorted to Evreux airfield,” it said, according to Deutsche Welle. Aer Lingus said in a statement that the flight “diverted to Normandy this morning as a security precaution” and that it would work to re-accommodate customers, BBC News reported.

Threats reach Finnair, Brussels and Bulgaria

Finnair said a plane flying from Helsinki to Rome was also targeted by a bomb threat on Thursday; it was escorted by air force jets and landed as scheduled, according to BBC News. Deutsche Welle reported unscheduled landings at Brussels Airport and in Bulgaria. A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Warsaw declared an emergency and diverted to Vienna, though no bomb threat was reported in that case and the reason was unclear, the BBC said.

Second wave in three days

On Tuesday, seven planes were searched after bomb threats, including flights from Manchester and London Heathrow, and no explosives were found, BBC News reported. The British government called those incidents “malicious hoax threats.” Deutsche Welle said the earlier threats targeted LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air and Ryanair, and coincided with apparent cyberattacks on supermarket freezer units and French blood banks, though any link has not been established.

Developing: Officials had not said Thursday whether any explosives were found or who made the threats.

Sources: BBC News, Deutsche Welle, Associated Press, Irish Independent.