Aer Lingus and Ryanair flights among more than a dozen hit by hoax bomb threats

Aer Lingus and Ryanair flights were among more than a dozen European flights hit by hoax bomb threats on Thursday, November 5, the second wave of hoax threats against flights this week.

"Aer Lingus flight EI402 from Dublin to Rome diverted to Normandy this morning as a security precaution," the airline told IrishCentral in a statement on Thursday.

"The flight landed safely, and Aer Lingus will work to reaccommodate customers to their final destination as soon as possible."

The Aer Lingus flight had departed from Dublin Airport at 6:24 am local time on Thursday, bound for Rome Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy, but ultimately landed at Évreux-Fauville Air Base in Normandy, France.

A spokesperson for the Office of French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu told IrishCentral on Thursday that the diversion procedure was initiated immediately after a bomb threat had been reported on board the Aer Lingus flight, an A320 aircraft which was carrying 151 passengers and six crew members.

The spokesperson noted that when the pilot did not cooperate as expected with the authorities, the Prime Minister ordered fighter jets to intercept and escort the aircraft.

Speaking with the AFP on Thursday, Évreux's public prosecutor Rémi Coutin said the pilot allegedly refused to comply with the order given to land at a military airport, preferring a civilian airport. “Two fighter jets therefore had to take off to escort it to Air Base 105," Coutin said, adding: "This constitutes a specific violation of the transport code."

Coutin said on Thursday that the Aer Lingus pilot "will be questioned under caution, and I will decide later whether to detain him."

The spokesperson for the French Prime Minister's office told IrishCentral on Thursday that the Aer Lingus flight ultimately landed without incident and that all passengers were taken care of upon landing, in accordance with security and bomb disposal protocols.

As per protocol, the situation was being monitored in real time by the Prime Minister's office, the spokesperson added on Thursday.

Ryanair threats

Multiple Ryanair flights were also caught up in Thursday's spate of hoax threats.

Ryanair flight FR1730 from London Stansted to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, was diverted and landed at Plovdiv Airport, also in Bulgaria.

Ryanair flights FR6410, from Madrid, and FR3606, from Copenhagen, both made emergency landings in Sofia, Bulgaria, their intended destination.

Bulgaria's air force said its fighter jets had escorted the three Ryanair flights to the ground.

Meanwhile, Ryanair flight FR8953, from Porto to Milan Malpensa in Italy, landed at Malpensa and was checked.

Ryanair was also among the airlines targeted by hoax bomb threats in Europe on Tuesday.  According to the BBC, two Ryanair flights - one from Lisbon and one from Dublin - were searched upon landing at Rome Fiumicino airport; one was escorted by the Italian military.

Email threat

Italian outlet Corriere della Sera reported on Thursday that an email with the subject line "threat report" was received that morning by employees of Aeroporti di Roma (ADR), the company that manages Fiumicino Airport, as well as a private aviation logistics company. The email was immediately forwarded to police while air force fighter jets scrambled to intercept the flights.

“You are all accomplices in a criminal conspiracy,” said the email, which Corriere della Sera reports was written in 'broken Italian.'

“We want to annihilate you for this. Precisely for this reason, at this very moment, explosive devices have been planted on the following flights: AY1761, Helsinki – Italy; EL402, Dublin – Italy. They are heading for your airport.

"We, the fighters of the Male State, will make our mark on history with our actions today. Your feminist regime will remember this forever. The explosion will take place in 60 minutes. Today, your skies will be red."

The AFP reported that a similar message referencing "explosive devices" on three Ryanair flights bound for Bulgaria was sent to multiple email addresses at Sofia airport. An office at Milan Malpensa airport also received a similar email on Thursday.

According to Corriere della Sera, the "fighters of the Male State" could be traced back to "Male State," a  Russian radical right-wing extremist movement that is misogynistic, homophobic, anti-feminist and an expression of the Russian manosphere, founded online in 2016 by Vladislav Pozdnyakov.

ADR said it had also received a similar email on Tuesday, two days earlier, also signed by the Male State.

Other airlines impacted by Thursday's hoax threats were LOT Polish Airlines, Wizz Air, Finnair, and Aegean Airlines.

Investigations ongoing

Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, said on Thursday: "Any threats against civilians are unacceptable. Ensuring the safety and security of citizens remains a priority.

"We are closely monitoring the situation and are in contact with the affected Member States and the European Aviation Safety Agency. The EU-level information sharing mechanism has been activated related to aviation security.

"I have asked the national authorities, that have the responsibility for assessing security threats, investigating incidents, and implementing appropriate aviation security measures, to cooperate closely with airport operators, airlines, and law enforcement authorities.

"It is too early to draw conclusions on whether the reported incidents are linked. National investigations remain ongoing."