PARIS — An Aer Lingus flight bound for Rome declared a mid-air emergency on Thursday morning while flying over French airspace and is making an unscheduled diversion to Paris.
Flight EI402 departed Dublin Airport (DUB) at 06:20 GMT scheduled for Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO). Approximately 90 minutes into the flight, while cruising at 37,000 feet over France, the flight crew transmitted squawk code 7700, the international signal designating a general emergency on board.
Flight tracking data indicates the aircraft immediately initiated a descent out of its cruising altitude and was first routed toward Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). The aircraft involved is an Airbus A320-200, registered as EI-DEH.
Air traffic controllers in France cleared the flight for an initial approach into Paris CDG, but plan suddenly changed.
The specific cause of the emergency code and sudden diversion has not yet been confirmed by Aer Lingus or air traffic management authorities.
This is a developing story. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
UPDATE 09:10 CET
Flight EI402 is circling at 11,000 feet.
UPDATE 09:11 CET
EI402 received bomb threat.
UPDATE 09:19 CET
The flight is indicating possible diversion to Évreux-Fauville Air Base military air base.
UPDATE 09:32 CET
The aircraft is climbing back to 16,000 feet towards South West.
UPDATE 09:55 CET
Confirmed: French Government is ordering Aer Lingus EI402 to land at Evreux airbase.
UPDATE 10:04 CET
Touch down on runway 04 at the military base of Evreux.
UPDATE 10:15 CET
French Air Force fighter jets escorted the flight EI402 to Evreux.
UDPATE 10:19 CET
The bomb disposal team has been dispatched to the scene. The alert was relayed by an Italian source.
The incident came a day after Wave of Bomb Threats on Tuesday, forcing the brief closure of a Warsaw airport and the scrambling of air force planes in Rome.
In a statement, the office of French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said it was aware of the situation, which is being monitored.
