Aer Lingus EI402 From Dublin to Rome Diverts to a French Air Base Under Fighter Escort After a Bomb Threat

Aer Lingus flight EI402 from Dublin to Rome was diverted to the French air base at Évreux, in Normandy, on the morning of Thursday, November 5, 2026, after a bomb threat, the office of French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said. The Airbus A320 landed safely with 151 passengers and six crew on board.

The prime minister’s office said everyone on board was moved to a safe place and a bomb disposal unit was at the aircraft. EI402 was one of at least 12 flights across Europe hit by threats that morning, by The Guardian’s count, two days after a wave of hoax threats on Tuesday.

How the EI402 diversion unfolded

EI402 left Dublin Airport at 6:24 a.m. Irish time, bound for Rome Fiumicino, RTÉ reported. The jet was the Airbus A320 EI-DEH, according to The Guardian’s live coverage.

Le Figaro, citing the prime minister’s office, reported that the decision to divert was taken at 8:46 a.m. Paris time (7:46 GMT). The crew set the transponder to 7700, the general emergency code, which gives a flight priority over other traffic.

France’s Air and Space Force told AFP that its on-duty alert aircraft had taken off to intercept the airliner over a suspected bomb, and that the jet was being diverted and escorted to Évreux, as relayed by France 24.

A Dassault Rafale left Saint-Dizier air base in eastern France at 8:53 a.m. and joined the A320 south of Paris at 9:16, Le Figaro reported. A Mirage 2000 then took over the escort, with the Rafale shadowing from a distance.

Tracking data showed the airliner crossing the English Channel on a normal path to Rome before turning southwest of Paris and circling near Chartres, The Guardian reported. It landed at Évreux at 10:04 a.m. Paris time (9:04 GMT), according to Le Figaro.

“The passengers are safe. Specialist teams can now inspect the aircraft,” an air force spokesperson told Le Figaro, in remarks translated from French.

An Aer Lingus spokesperson told The Journal the flight “diverted to Normandy this morning as a security precaution.” The airline said it would work to get customers to their final destination as soon as possible.

“Safety comes first in these instances,” Dublin Airport’s Graeme McQueen told RTÉ radio, adding that the threat would be taken very seriously and investigated.

The other flights hit on November 5

Finnair flight AY1761 from Helsinki was escorted to Rome Fiumicino by military aircraft, a spokesperson for Rome’s airports told AFP, as France 24 reported. Finnair said a second threat targeted its Helsinki to Vienna flight, AY1471, which is operated by Jettime and landed normally.

In Bulgaria, two flights from Copenhagen and Madrid landed in Sofia; The Guardian lists both as Ryanair services. Ryanair FR1730 from London Stansted made an emergency landing at Plovdiv, Plovdiv Airport chief executive Krassimir Peshev told BTA. Wizz Air W46387 from Milan Malpensa to Warsaw was diverted to Vienna, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported, as relayed by The Guardian.

LOT Polish Airlines said the crew of LO235 from Warsaw to Brussels searched the cabin after being warned of a possible threat and found nothing suspicious. A second inspection by the authorities at Brussels Airport found nothing either.

Czech police said threats claimed explosive devices were on board four aircraft heading to Prague and rated their credibility as low. The police later said the bomb squad inspections were negative and that the national counter-terrorism and cybercrime unit had taken over the investigation.

On Tuesday, November 3, about ten European flights were hit by threats that turned out to be false, including Ryanair FR4116 to Murcia and a Ryanair service from Dublin to Rome. A day before that, a Wizz Air flight from Luton diverted to Budapest under Hungarian fighter escort.

Why a likely hoax still gets a fighter escort

France keeps fighters on standby under its “permanent security posture,” the air policing mission that escorts or takes charge of suspect aircraft and aircraft in difficulty, Le Figaro explained. The air force spokesperson said the EI402 response showed how quickly the chain of command could act.

In Prague, even threats rated as unlikely got the full response. Czech police, who judged their four threats low in credibility, said they still activated every necessary security measure because they did not underestimate the risk.

No country has publicly blamed anyone for the threats. European officials have blamed Russia and Iran for what they call “hybrid attacks” and sabotage, RTÉ noted, and both deny any such campaign. A French security source told Le Figaro the culprit could be a prankster or a coordinated operation.