PARIS — The captain of Aer Lingus flight EI402 will be questioned by French prosecutors following a security incident on Thursday morning after a reported bomb threat led to a tense military interception in French airspace.
The flight, carrying 151 passengers and six crew members, was diverted toward the Évreux-Fauville Air Base in Normandy. Tensions escalated when one of the pilots initially refused the air traffic control directive to land at the military facility, requesting instead to be rerouted to a civilian airport.
The pilot’s non-compliance prompted an immediate high-level response from the French government.
“As the pilot did not cooperate with authorities as expected, the Prime Minister immediately ordered fighter jets to intercept the aircraft and escort it,” Matignon confirmed in a formal statement. Two French Air Force fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the airliner and compel it to land at the Normandy air base.
Following the safe landing, the Public Prosecutor of Évreux announced the opening of a formal investigation into the Irish pilot’s actions to determine whether a criminal offense was committed.
“The pilot will be questioned under standard voluntary interview procedures (audition libre), after which I will decide whether to place him in custody,” the prosecutor stated after visiting the site on Thursday afternoon.
All 151 passengers and six crew members safely deplaned and were escorted by Gendarmerie units to a gymnasium on the military base while bomb disposal teams inspected the aircraft.
In a released statement, Aer Lingus confirmed that flight EI402 had “landed safely” and stated that the airline is actively working to transport passengers to their final destination as quickly as possible.
