Arson attack on Airways Aviation France | ESMA aircraft fleet

In the early hours of Tuesday, 20 May 2025, an incident of suspected arson occurred at Airways Aviation France | ESMA, located at Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport (IATA: MPL ICAO: LFMT). The perpetrators unlawfully gained access to a secure apron area within the airport grounds and attempted to set fire to an entire fleet of training aircraft.

As a result, three Diamond DA42 aircraft were completely destroyed. The extent of damage to other aircraft is currently under assessment but most of the fleet has suffered severe damage. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported.

The French Police authorities have swiftly cordoned off the affected area, which is now being treated as a crime scene. Authorities are actively reviewing security footage and have commenced a full investigation into the incident.

Due to the breach of airport security, the attack constitutes a serious criminal offence. A specialist investigation team from Paris is being dispatched to support local authorities in identifying and prosecuting those responsible.

This criminal act is expected to impact ongoing training operations. The management team at Airways Aviation France | ESMA with the full support of Airways Aviation Group Board of Directors is working diligently to mitigate disruption and ensure continuity of service where possible, by taking all the measures to re-establish and restart operations as soon as possible at the same time that all ground training activity continues as normal.

Romy Hawatt, Founder and Chairman of Airways Aviation Group commented: “This is a disturbing and unacceptable act of planned sabotage that strikes at the heart of our aviation community. While we are relieved that no one was injured, the destruction of our aircraft will have severe consequences on our operations, and it is a personal blow to our dedicated team. We are fully cooperating with authorities and will take every measure necessary to ensure the future safety and security of our people and assets.” 

Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available