Aer Lingus Flight to Rome Diverted to France After Bomb Threat

An Aer Lingus Airbus A320 flying from Dublin to Rome was diverted to a French airbase west of Paris on Thursday after a bomb threat, and it landed safely, according to DW. The incident follows a series of threats against European airlines earlier in the week.

The office of French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced the diversion and said it was following the situation in real time. It later confirmed that the aircraft had touched down without problems at the Evreux airbase.

How the diversion unfolded

DW reported that flight-tracking websites showed the plane sharply changing course as it neared Paris airspace. It then headed for Evreux, a more isolated airfield.

France's air force said it sent aircraft as soon as the incident was reported. It said the plane had been diverted and was being escorted to the airfield. The prime minister's office then confirmed the safe landing. Details about the nature of the threat, and about how many people were on board, were not disclosed.

A string of threats earlier this week

According to DW, the earlier threats against commercial flights this week turned out to be hoaxes. They still caused diversions and large security responses. In one case, the Italian air force escorted a plane to an emergency landing.

The threats targeted several carriers, including Poland's LOT, Scandinavian Airlines, Wizz Air and Ryanair. Each prompted a series of unscheduled landings.

Possible link to cyberattacks

DW noted that the disruption to air travel coincided with a series of apparent cyberattacks on freezer units in major supermarkets and on French blood banks. It said it is not yet clear whether these events are connected.

The outlet described all the cases as still at an early stage. It said they bear possible hallmarks of so-called hybrid attacks, which are designed to cause maximum disruption with minimal effort and resources. That description is DW's assessment, not a conclusion announced by officials.

Why it matters for air travelers

For passengers, the main consequence is disruption. Even threats that turn out to be hoaxes can force a plane off its route, bring in military escorts and end in an unscheduled landing at an airfield that was not the planned destination. That happened to flights on several airlines this week, and it happened again on Thursday to a flight between two major European capitals.

The cases also draw in governments. The French prime minister's office and the air force were directly involved in Thursday's response, and the Italian air force took part in an earlier one. Officials have not publicly tied the events together, and the possible link to the cyberattacks remains unconfirmed.

What is still unclear

It is not known who made the threat against the Aer Lingus flight or whether it, like the earlier ones, will prove to be a hoax. DW described the story as developing. Whether the threats and the cyberattacks share a common origin has not been established.

Around Prague, based on reporting by DW