American Airlines flight AA 292, traveling nonstop from New York to Delhi, was diverted to Rome on Sunday evening (IST) due to a bomb threat. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner had taken off from JFK on Saturday (Feb 22) at 8:14 PM and was flying over the Caspian Sea when it changed course back toward Europe. Although the threat was deemed “non-credible,” protocol at Delhi Airport mandated that the plane be inspected at another location prior to being permitted to land there. Upon landing in Rome, where it was escorted by two Italian Air Force Eurofighters, the plane was examined and subsequently cleared by security for departure. However, it will remain at Rome Fiumicino Airport overnight for the crew to rest and is expected to leave for Delhi on Monday.
In a statement, American Airlines announced: “American Airlines flight 292, traveling from New York (JFK) to Delhi (DEL), was diverted to Rome (FCO) because of a potential security issue. The flight arrived safely at FCO, where law enforcement examined and cleared the aircraft for departure. Our highest priorities are safety and security, and we sincerely apologize to our passengers for the disruption.” Last year, several flights to, from, and within India experienced a wave of false threat messages and calls. Numerous flights originating from India that received these hoax threats were accompanied by fighter jets upon their arrival at foreign airports.
