Fighter jets escort flight from New York to Rome following safety concern | US information

An American Airways flight from New York to New Delhi landed safely in Rome on Sunday afternoon after it was diverted resulting from a safety concern, which later proved to be “non-credible,” the airline mentioned.

Whereas the airline didn’t elaborate, NBC reported that the state of affairs concerned a bomb risk despatched in by e mail. The community cited a supply accustomed to the state of affairs.

American Airways mentioned Flight 292 “was inspected by legislation enforcement” after touchdown at Leonardo da Vinci Worldwide Airport and “cleared to re-depart”.

The Federal Aviation Administration mentioned the flight’s crew reported the safety risk, in accordance with NBC. The airline mentioned an inspection was required by protocol earlier than the flight may land in New Delhi.

“The flight will keep in Rome in a single day to permit for required crew relaxation earlier than persevering with to Delhi as quickly as potential tomorrow,” the airline mentioned.

An Related Press reporter filmed two fighter jets flying over the airport shortly earlier than the unscheduled touchdown. Hearth vans had been seen on the touchdown strip on one facet of the airplane after it landed.

Neeraj Chopra, one of many passengers on board, mentioned the captain introduced that the airplane needed to flip round about three hours earlier than it was alleged to land in New Delhi due to a change in “safety standing”.

Chopra, who was touring from Detroit to go to household, described the temper on the airplane as calm after the preliminary announcement however mentioned he started to really feel burdened when the captain later introduced that fighter jets can be escorting their airplane to Rome.

“I felt just a little panic of, okay, what’s happening right here?” Chopra informed the AP. “There’s obtained to be like one thing larger happening right here.”

Passenger Jonathan Bacon, 22, from Dayton, Ohio, began taking note of the flight tracker on the seatback in entrance of him after the captain’s announcement of a “diversion resulting from a safety challenge,” observing the airplane’s sharp flip away from New Delhi and route again towards Rome.

Passengers had no web connection for a lot of the flight, Bacon mentioned, with just some spotty entry that clued them into early reviews of the state of affairs about two hours earlier than touchdown.

After touchdown, Bacon mentioned all passengers had been loaded onto buses and brought to the terminal, the place every passenger and their private gadgets underwent further safety screenings that had been time-consuming and felt “barely heightened,” particularly for arrivals. Greater than two hours after touchdown, Bacon and his good friend mentioned they had been nonetheless ready for his or her checked baggage, which they mentioned was additionally present process safety screenings.

“It was undoubtedly the longest flight to Europe I’ve ever taken,” Bacon mentioned.

A spokesperson for the airport mentioned it was persevering with to function usually.