On Wednesday, October 18, several airports across France were cleared out due to emailed threats of attack. This is the latest in a series of similar alerts. The airports in Lille, Lyon, Nantes, Nice, Toulouse, and Beauvais near Paris were evacuated to eliminate any doubts about the authenticity of the threats. Strasbourg Airport was also evacuated following a threatening email.
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The Palace of Versailles, a popular tourist spot outside Paris, was cleared for the third time since the previous Saturday for bomb disposal teams to inspect the area. This comes in the wake of heightened security following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 and a fatal stabbing incident in Arras by an individual claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group.
By midday, normal operations resumed at Nice, Lyon, and Lille airports. France’s DGAC aviation authority confirmed evacuations at Lille, Lyon, Toulouse, and Beauvais due to bomb threats but did not provide further details immediately. Significant delays were reported at Lille, Lyon, and Toulouse.
At Nice Airport, a security perimeter was established due to an abandoned baggage item but normal operations have since resumed. Similarly, Lyon’s Bron airport has been given the all-clear. In Lille, three flights were diverted and security forces were deployed. Despite this, some passengers remained unaware of the reasons behind their evacuation.
