European Flights Diverted Amid Bomb Threats

An Airbus A320, flight EI402, departed Dublin at 6:24 am, bound for Rome, but landed safely at the Evreux air base in Normandy. The French prime minister’s office confirmed all 151 passengers and six crew members were brought to safety, as bomb disposal teams intervened.

An Aer Lingus spokesman confirmed the diversion, stating, "Aer Lingus flight EI402 from Dublin to Rome diverted to Normandy this morning as a security precaution." The airline will work to reaccommodate customers to their final destination as soon as possible.

Separately, a LOT Polish Airlines flight from London Heathrow to Warsaw diverted to Warsaw Modlin after an alert. A Ryanair flight from London Stansted to Sofia also rerouted to Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Two UK flights underwent searches following bomb threats: one from Manchester to Murcia, Spain, and another from London Heathrow to Warsaw, Poland. A Polish LOT airliner landed at Brussels’ Zaventem airport after a security warning, though no suspicious items were found.

EasyJet flights from Newcastle and Glasgow met police on arrival in Prague as a precautionary measure. A UK Government spokesperson stated that threats reported in the early hours of Thursday had been resolved.

No explosive devices have been discovered in relation to any of these threats. Heidi Alexander stated, "We do have some of the most robust aviation security systems anywhere in the world and we have established processes for dealing with hoax and malicious threats, and that’s what these threats have been."

A UK Government spokesperson reiterated, "It’s right that authorities treat any potential threats seriously – the UK has one of the most robust aviation security systems in the world, with well-tested processes for dealing with any threats, as well as malicious hoaxes, like those we’ve seen this week." The Met’s Aviation Policing Command continues to monitor the situation and liaise with the relevant authorities.

An email containing a threat to Rome-bound planes was reportedly sent on behalf of a group describing itself as anti-feminist. Unidentified hackers reportedly shut down fridges in supermarkets in several European countries this week.

No confirmed link has been made between any of the threats this week. No country has attributed blame, and operations at Heathrow and Birmingham airports continued as normal.