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Aer Lingus passenger recalls fighter escort after hoax bomb alert

RTÉ News pairs window footage of the French jet with Katie McAteer's account of a diversion, searches and a long wait on the ground.

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RTÉ News Story of November 6, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of RTÉ News's most watched videos since yesterday, with 62,819 views.

Moment fighter jet escorts plane after bomb threat hoax | #RTENews #AerLingus

A French fighter jet flies alongside an Aer Lingus airliner in passenger footage shared by RTÉ News. Inside the aircraft, Katie McAteer recalls, its appearance helped passengers understand that their unexpected diversion was a security alert.

The Dublin-Rome flight was diverted to France on Thursday following what RTÉ describes as a hoax bomb threat. Unlike the broader reports of European flight alerts, this clip gives a passenger's account of the escort and what happened after landing.

McAteer tells RTÉ Radio's News at One that the pilot initially announced a problem requiring them to land in Paris. He later explained that the French air force had instructed the aircraft to land at an air base.

"He did say it doesn't seem to be credible, but that the French air force have asked us to land in an air base in France," she says.

According to McAteer, passengers remained aboard for approximately two hours after landing while awaiting security sweeps. They then left their luggage behind and underwent searches and checks by sniffer dogs.

The footage, credited to passenger Bella Leone, is interspersed with photographs of travellers seated around tables. The report ends with passengers in a sports gymnasium, where McAteer says they had been assessed, given food and were waiting for further instructions.

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