French prosecutors have opened an investigation into an Aer Lingus pilot's handling of a hoax bomb threat, after the aircraft reportedly declined to land at a military airfield. The Evreux prosecutor's office said the plane "allegedly refused" to land at the base and instead favoured a civilian airport, according to The Irish Times. Two French fighter jets were sent to accompany the aircraft, which later touched down at an air force base in Normandy, where no explosives were found.
Why it matters
The case puts an individual crew's decisions under official scrutiny at a moment when European aviation is grappling with a wave of false bomb warnings. Close to 30 flights were disrupted on Thursday alone, and the incidents have drawn attention from senior government figures in Ireland a week before Dublin hosts a gathering of more than 50 European leaders. How the investigation unfolds may shape how airlines and authorities handle similar threats in the months ahead.
What happened on flight EI402
The Aer Lingus service was travelling from Dublin to Rome when it was diverted over northern France. A passenger, Dubliner Katie McAteer, told RTÉ Radio's News at One that roughly an hour into the journey the pilot told travellers of a "problem with plane" and said the aircraft had been ordered to land at the airbase. She recalled seeing a fighter aircraft flying close alongside, which she described as frightening, and said passengers were unsure what was happening until the pilot later said he did not believe the warning was credible.
Aer Lingus said on Thursday night that its pilots had "fully co-operated with the French authorities regarding this matter, and the engagement of the pilots with the authorities has now concluded". Asked whether the aircraft had initially declined to divert as instructed, the airline said it had nothing further to add. On Friday it issued a second statement saying the captain and crew of EI402 "acted impeccably and were thoroughly professional throughout yesterday's security issue", adding that safety and passenger care were the airline's top priority and had been upheld in challenging circumstances.
A co-ordinated wave of hoaxes
The disruption was not confined to the Aer Lingus flight. Two Ryanair services were among those affected: one from Dublin to Prague and another from London Stansted to Cork, the latter delayed by 90 minutes after Cork Airport received an anonymous telephone warning. Flights operated by Wizz Air, Finnair, EasyJet, Aegean Airlines, Iberia, Sky Express, Air Serbia and LOT were also caught up in the alerts. Routes linking Italy, Ireland, Britain, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Finland, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, France, Greece, Serbia and Czechia were affected, with aircraft making emergency landings or being diverted. Every flight landed safely and searches turned up nothing suspicious, The Irish Times reports.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee called the events "extremely concerning" and said gardaí and security services were working with European counterparts to protect travellers. She said it was "not clear" where the warnings originated, noting that some arrived by email but that sources varied, and that work was under way to establish whether they were linked. A senior Government source familiar with the response said the working assumption was that the hoaxes were co-ordinated and most likely carried out by actors aligned with Russia or Iran, pointing to what the source described as a pattern of Russian disruption in Europe. A spokeswoman for Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien said inquiries rested with the relevant aviation, policing and security bodies in each jurisdiction.
What to watch
The Evreux investigation will determine whether any action follows against the pilot, while European authorities continue tracing the origin of the threats. With Dublin preparing to welcome dozens of European leaders, Irish officials say security arrangements for the summits are being reviewed.
