Gardaí have launched a full investigation after an Aer Lingus plane was forced into lockdown in Dublin Airport following a foolish prank by a passenger which caused an Ebola scare.
According to reports the EI 433 flight, was due to land in Dublin Airport at 13.15 this afternoon, but the plane arrived 17 minutes early and remained stationary on the tarmac with all passengers on boatrd. It was alleged that one of the passengers on board had foolishly written a message on a coffee cup which said ‘Be careful, Ebola’.
It is understood that a fellow passenger discovered the coffee mug on board and the authorities were immediately contacted by the flight crew, although medical experts quickly determined that the passenger did not have any signs of the highly fatal virus.
A spokesman for the Dublin Airport Authority released a statement a short time later which 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.”
The man who apparently wrote the message is believed to be of Italian descent. It is not yet known how many passengers were on board, however it is understood there was little panic among those on board.
A spokesman for Aer Lingus also released a statement which 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 Siochana are now dealing with the matter. As this is a security matter we have no further comment.”