A LONG HAUL flight from Dublin airport has been diverted to a military base over a ‘security threat onboard’.
Etihad Airways flight EY042 from Dublin to Abu Dhabi, which took off yesterday morning, was diverted to land at Al Minhad Air Base in Dubai with several Irish passengers on board.
“The crew completed all necessary inflight checks as per procedure, with no abnormalities found, then followed the authorities instructions to undergo further security checks at the air base,” an Etihad spokesman said this afternoon.
Upon disembarking, the guests, baggage and aircraft went through additional security screening which took several hours.
Throughout this process, the passengers remained at the Air Base and were provided with refreshments according to the spokesman.
Passengers were subsequently brought to Abu Dhabi Airport (about 80 miles) by bus with police escort, and were received into the city after being processed through the terminal there.
The majority of transferring passengers were placed on flights this morning after being accommodated overnight in the city.
The precise cause of the diversion is not yet known.
Etihad today apologised “for the inconvenience caused” to the travelling passengers, while insisting their safety and security “is our top priority”.
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