Three arrested after airport Ebola scare
Gardaí are investigating after an Aer Lingus plane had to go into lockdown in Dublin Airport following a prank by passengers which sparked a brief Ebola scare.
The EI 433 flight, due to land in Dublin Airport at 1.15pm today, arrived 17 minutes early but remained on the tarmac when it emerged someone had written “Attentione Ebola” on a plastic cup.
The authorities were immediately contacted and passengers were only allowed to disembark following medical checks on three passengers.
Gardaí then arrested three Italians - two women and a man - and brought them to Ballymun Garda station for questioning in relation to the incident.
A spokesman for the Dublin Airport Authority said: “Following a minor security incident on board an Aer Lingus flight from Milan to Dublin, passengers were held on board the aircraft after it landed at Dublin Airport just before 1pm today.
“As a precaution, the incident was fully investigated by before passengers and crew disembarked as normal. The incident is now a matter for the gardaí.”
According to gardai, “it was reported that a passenger on board a flight from Milan to Dublin had shown a plastic cup to a flight attendant marked ‘Attentione Ebola’.
“The flight attendant notified the Captain who immediately contacted the Dublin Airport Authority. The Airport Police placed a cordon at the aircraft which was parked at stand. The H.S.E. were notified and the emergency protocols were invoked.
“The aircraft remained on the apron for one hour while three of the passengers were medically examined. Following consultation with the H.S.E. it was established there was no evidence of a health risk. At approximately 2.15pm the crew and passengers were permitted to disembark and the cordon removed.”
The two female passengers questioned are aged 51 and 23 and a male passenger is aged 56. They are being questioned under the Air Navigation and Transport Act.
There were 142 passengers on the flight but it is believed there was little, if any, panic among those on board.
A spokesman for Aer Lingus said: “A security issue arose on flight EI 433 (Milan to Dublin.) As a precaution passengers and crew were temporarily detained on board the aircraft while the matter was investigated. Passengers have now disembarked the aircraft. An Garda Síochána are now dealing with the matter. As this is a security matter we have no further comment.”
One woman tweeted that her father, who was on the plane, became aware that another passenger had made an Ebola claim.
“A man has made an Ebola threat on the plane my Dad is on. Plane in lock down and Gardaí on the way,” she wrote. “It’d better be a horrendously bad joke!”
