A passenger Airbus aircraft travelling from Dublin to Rome was forced to make an emergency landing at a military airbase in northern France following a bomb threat.
According to French authorities, the aircraft diverted from its scheduled route on Thursday (5 November) after receiving a bomb threat. It was escorted by French Air Force fighter jets before landing at the Orou military airbase.
Authorities confirmed that all 151 passengers and six crew members were safely evacuated from the aircraft. Specialist bomb disposal teams were subsequently dispatched to the site to conduct investigations.
Meanwhile, similar bomb threats have disrupted air traffic in several other European countries. Reports indicate that aircraft in Italy, Finland, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria have also been targeted by similar threats.
An Italian aircraft travelling from Helsinki to Rome was escorted by fighter jets and forced to make an emergency landing. Flights at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport were also temporarily suspended.
Finland’s national carrier, Finnair, confirmed that one of its aircraft travelling to Vienna had also received a similar threat but landed safely.
Czech police reported bomb threats involving four aircraft bound for Prague. Meanwhile, Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport confirmed that three Ryanair flights heading to Sofia had received similar threats.
These incidents come after bomb threats disrupted approximately ten European flights in Poland and Spain on Tuesday, causing significant disruption to air traffic.
The British government has described the threats as false and disruptive.
In recent weeks, similar threats across several European countries have repeatedly disrupted civilian aviation, forcing airports to suspend normal operations for several hours.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
