Aer Lingus Rome flight diverts to French airbase after bomb threat

An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome diverted to a French military airfield at Évreux on Thursday, 5 November, after a bomb threat was reported during the journey. French government officials confirmed the diversion, according to BFMTV, Le Figaro, RTÉ News and other European outlets.

The aircraft, an Airbus A320, carried approximately 151 passengers and six crew members, according to reports from French and Irish broadcasters. The flight changed course while crossing France and landed at the Évreux airbase in Normandy.

France's prime minister's office told BFMTV that the government was following the security situation. Emergency arrangements were activated at the base as authorities took responsibility for examining the warning and ensuring the passengers could leave the aircraft safely.

The reports did not describe injuries, damage to the aircraft or an explosion. The alert therefore remains an alleged threat rather than evidence that a bomb was on board. Investigators had not publicly established who made the warning.

The diversion was one of several bomb-related alerts affecting flights in Europe during the same week. Aircraft serving other cities, including Warsaw, Bucharest and Prague, were subject to separate checks. Those flights' passengers and outcomes should not be treated as part of the Aer Lingus event. Aviation authorities did not present evidence connecting the separate alerts to a single perpetrator, even though they occurred within a short period of time.

Airlines and airport authorities can divert aircraft for security reasons even when a warning later proves unfounded. The supplied reports did not establish that the Évreux investigation had reached a final criminal finding or identified a device.

French and Irish authorities were expected to coordinate arrangements for passengers and the airline. The source material did not provide a verified onward departure time or confirmation that the original Rome service resumed during the same day.

The incident required a cross-border response involving an Irish-operated flight, a French military facility and passengers travelling to Italy. It was a precautionary aviation-security diversion, with no confirmed casualty toll.