American Airlines New York-Delhi flight makes emergency landing in Rome after bomb threat
A bomb threat forced American Airlines to reroute a flight from New York to Delhi to Rome. Military aircraft escorted the 199 passengers in the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
An American Airlines flight from New York to New Delhi made an emergency landing in Rome following a bomb threat. After being rerouted to Leonardo da Vinci airport in Rome, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which was carrying about 200 passengers, made a safe landing on Sunday. The security issue is currently being investigated.
According to a senior official cited by ABC News, the reason behind the landing was a bomb threat, received via email. However, it was proved to be unfounded. Videos and photos on social media showed the Boeing 787-9 aircraft being escorted by the Italian Air Force before landing in Rome. American Airlines has yet to provide an official statement on the matter.
Emergency landing in Rome
Operating as Flight AA292, the plane took off from John F. Kennedy International Airport and headed for New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. The crew decided to divert to Rome after learning of the bomb threat while flying over the Caspian Sea.
To ensure their safety during the flight, the ship was escorted by combat aircraft from the Italian Air Force before they arrived in Rome. The passengers were safely released from the aircraft after it landed at around 16:20 GMT.
American Airlines receives bomb threat
The airline has not issued a statement, but some sources confirm the threat-containing email. A spokesperson for the Italian capital's Leonardo da Vinci International Airport, Francesco Garibaldi, did not give the exact reason for the change in the flight's itinerary.
The airport, which was chosen to handle the emergency over other major airports along Flight AA292's route such as Istanbul and Dubai, continued to operate normally, the spokesperson said. Further research is being conducted by authorities.