Aer Lingus and pilots group defend conduct of crew on flight diverted due to bomb threat

LAST UPDATE | 5 hrs ago

IRISH PILOTS HAVE defended the conduct of captain and crew on the flight bound for Rome yesterday that unexpectedly had to land in Northern France following bomb threats.

They said they’re “fully satisfied” the pilots flying EI402 “discharged their legal and safety responsibilities to the fullest extent and acted professionally throughout”.

At least 27 flights were confirmed to have been targeted with bomb threats on Thursday, including services from Dublin, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Madrid, Milan and Warsaw.

One Aer Lingus Airbus A320 left Dublin for Rome before being diverted to the Evreux air base in northern France, where it landed safely.

The pilots were questioned by French authorities over the landing, prompting their peers and Aer Lingus to defend them.

In a statement today, Daniel Langan, president of the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA), said it’s “standard procedure” for authorities to question crew when a landing is unplanned. 

“In the case of an Irish-registered aircraft, these responsibilities and powers are governed by applicable Irish law, as well as the relevant laws of the state in whose airspace the aircraft is operating,” he said.

“The pilots cooperated fully with the French authorities and are being represented in France by IALPA’s sister union, the SNPL.”

Langan said the IALPA “fully supports” the pilots involved.

“The IALPA fully supports the pilots involved and is satisfied that their actions were consistent with their professional obligations and their overriding responsibility for aviation safety.”

Meanwhile, Aer Lingus says the captain and crew on flight EI402 “acted impeccably and were thoroughly professional throughout yesterday’s security issue”.

“Safety and the care of our passengers is Aer Lingus’ top priority and this was upheld professionally by the captain and crew of the aircraft throughout in what were very challenging circumstances,” a spokesperson said.

Defence Minister Helen McEntee said the number of flights being searched because of potential bomb threats is “extremely concerning” in the week Ireland hosts its biggest ever meeting of heads of state.

Next Thursday, Ireland will host the ninth meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) at the Convention Centre in Dublin.

The showcase of the Irish presidency of the Council of the European Union will be the biggest meeting of heads of state in Ireland’s history, and is to be followed by a dinner hosted by the Taoiseach and more informal meetings on Friday.

McEntee said she is worried about how the bomb threats will impact the meetings.

“It’s extremely concerning, what we’ve seen happen in a very short space of time,” the Fine Gael TD said.

“Obviously these hoaxes are having a significant impact on travel more broadly. I would say in terms of our own security and the approach and the work that has been done to date, our Defence Forces have worked exceptionally well with An Garda Síochána in making sure that whatever measure has needed to be put in place for any event that we’ve held, that has been the case, and we have a hugely successful presidency to date.

“Naturally, next week we have 55 heads of state coming to Ireland. This is the largest event of its type that we’ve ever had, and so everything that needs to be done, and should be done, will be done, to ensure their security and safety throughout this, but look, I think we’re all concerned at these types of hoaxes, huge disruption.

“But importantly, we need to make sure that people are safe, and that would be to the fore of everything that we take.”

The minister said little is known about the person or persons carrying out what are, up to this point, all hoaxes.

With reporting by the Press Association