Aer Lingus Flight EI402 (operated by an Airbus A320) has landed safely at the Évreux-Fauville Air Base in Normandy, France, after declaring an in-flight emergency due to a bomb threat.
The aircraft departed Dublin Airport at 6:24 AM, bound for Rome Fiumicino Airport. While over France, the flight issued an emergency squawk 7700, turned near Paris, and was escorted to the French military airbase by a French Rafale fighter jet.
All 151 passengers and 6 crew members on board have been evacuated safely to a secure location on the airbase. Aer Lingus has stated they are working to re-accommodate passengers to their final destinations as quickly as possible.
This emergency landing comes amidst an unprecedented wave of seemingly coordinated “malicious hoax” bomb threats disrupted up to 27 flights across Europe on Thursday, 5 November 2026, forcing multiple emergency landings, flight diversions, and the scrambling of military fighter jets. No explosives or dangerous items have been found on any of the inspected aircraft, and all flights have landed safely.
Rome Fiumicino Airport’s operator, ADR, received an email stating that “explosive devices” had been placed on two specific flights arriving in Rome.
The email singled out Aer Lingus flight EI402 from Dublin and Finnair flight AY1761 from Helsinki, warning that an “explosion will occur in 60 minutes”. The Aer Lingus flight from Dublin was intercepted by French fighter jets and safely diverted to the Évreux-Fauville military airbase in Normandy, France. Passengers were held on board while military personnel and sniffer dogs searched the aircraft.
The Finnair flight from Helsinki was escorted by Italian Air Force fighter jets directly into Rome Fiumicino Airport, where it landed safely.
The emails were signed by a group calling itself the “Fighters of the Male State” (or “The Male State”). Written in Italian, the email bizarrely stated, “You are all complicit in a criminal conspiracy, we want to destroy you for this… Today, your skies will turn red”. The text explicitly stated they were targeting a “feminist regime”. (Media outlets noted this was likely a reference to Italy, where Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is one of Europe’s prominent female leaders).
The ICCT identifies “The Male State” as an ultra-nationalist, misogynistic movement founded in Russia in 2016. Though officially banned and designated as an extremist organization by Russian courts in 2021, the group operates online and has vocally supported Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Rome threats were part of a massive coordinated disruption affecting at least 21 to 27 flights across Europe on the same day. Similar hoax emails threatening an “improvised explosive device” or claiming “skies will turn red” were simultaneously sent to aviation authorities and airports in Prague, Sofia, Madrid, Warsaw, and Milan. Fighter jets were also scrambled in France, Italy, and Bulgaria to escort commercial airlines. No explosives were found in any of the targeted flights or airports.
This marks the second major wave of airline hoaxes this week, following a similar string of threats that targeted at least seven flights on Tuesday. Authorities from multiple nations are investigating whether these incidents are part of a coordinated hybrid warfare campaign aimed at unsettling European travel. Key Airlines and Flights Affected on Thursday
- Ryanair: At least seven Ryanair flights have been targeted this week. On Thursday, two flights heading to Sofia, Bulgaria (from Copenhagen and Madrid), made emergency landings in the Bulgarian capital. A third flight from London Stansted to Sofia was diverted to Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Another Ryanair flight from Porto to Milan was searched upon arrival.
- Finnair: Two flights were targeted. A flight from Helsinki to Rome was escorted into Rome Fiumicino Airport by two Italian Air Force fighter jets, while a Jettime-operated flight from Helsinki to Vienna was also hit. Both were cleared after inspection.
- Wizz Air: A flight from Milan to Warsaw was safely re-routed and diverted to Vienna. Another flight approaching Bucharest from Milan landed safely and was cleared by security checks.
- LOT Polish Airlines: A flight from Warsaw to Brussels made an emergency landing at Brussels’ Zaventem airport and was cleared following specialized security sweeps.
- Prague-Bound Flights: Czech police confirmed that four planes bound for Prague, operated by Ryanair, EasyJet, and Sky Express, received threats, but pyrotechnic inspections all came back negative.
The Italian news agency Ansa reported that several of the warnings, including those for the Aer Lingus and Finnair flights heading to Rome, originated from an anonymous email.
Security analysts and government officials are raising concerns that these synchronized disruptions, which follow cyber-attacks on European supermarket refrigeration systems and recent drone incursions earlier in the week, could be part of a broader hybrid campaign orchestrated by state actors to cause widespread logistical panic.
