by InTrieste
Three flights to or from Italy were diverted or subjected to security checks on Thursday after bomb threats, prompting emergency landings and the deployment of military aircraft.
An Aer Lingus Airbus A320 flying from Dublin to Rome was diverted to Évreux-Fauville military airbase in Normandy, France, after a bomb threat. The aircraft, which departed Dublin at 6:25 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive in Rome at about 10:30 a.m., turned back near Paris and was escorted by French fighter jets.
All 151 passengers and six crew members were evacuated to a secure area while bomb disposal teams inspected the aircraft. No details about the origin of the threat were immediately released. The French prime minister’s office said it was monitoring the situation.
Two other flights were affected. A Finnair service from Helsinki landed at Rome Fiumicino Airport at 9:30 a.m. after Italian air force jets were scrambled in response to an anonymous bomb alert. Police bomb disposal teams carried out inspections after landing, but airport operations were not disrupted.
A Wizz Air flight from Milan Malpensa to Warsaw was diverted to Vienna after a bomb threat was reported during the journey. The airline said it had followed security procedures and was cooperating with authorities.
The incidents follow a series of similar alerts on Tuesday, when about 10 flights across Europe were targeted, including several Ryanair services. Two aircraft were searched at Rome Fiumicino, while Warsaw Chopin Airport was briefly closed. No explosive devices were found.
On Monday, a Wizz Air flight from London Luton to Sofia also made an emergency landing in Budapest, escorted by Hungarian fighter jets.
Authorities have not established whether the latest incidents are connected.
