On Sunday, 23rd of February, a possible security issue diverted an American Airlines flight to Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport. American Airlines flight 292 departed from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and was headed to Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. Fortunately the threat was determined to be non-credible after an evaluation.
What happened?
American Airlines flight 292 requested a diversion to Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport at 2pm local time. The official security concern has not been confirmed by the airline; however, one source familiar with the situation suggested that it was a bomb threat sent by email.
Roberto Rao, a spokesperson for the airport, has stated that
“We don’t know what the security concern was, but my opinion is that it was serious enough to divert the plane, but not urgent, because we received the alert when the plane was over the Caspian Sea, a three-hour’ flight from Rome.”
Once the aircraft entered the Italian airspace, it was escorted by Italian Air Force fighter jets to Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport, where it landed safely at around 5.30 p.m. local time.
The airline confirmed the non-credibility of the threat. Once the flight was inspected by law enforcement, it was cleared to re-depart.
American Airlines has commented on the situation, saying
‘Safety and security are our top priorities and we thank our customers for their understanding. We are working closely with local authorities and will provide updates as the situation develops.’
What are the passengers saying?
Neeraj Chopra, a passenger on board, said that the mood on the plane remained calm following the initial announcement that the flight would be diverted. After learning that fighter jets would escort their plane, people became anxious because they didn’t know what was going on.
After safely landing in Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport, the passengers were escorted to the terminal. There, each passenger underwent additional security screenings, including their checked baggage, for which travellers had to wait over two hours.
This was not the first time an American Airlines flight had a bomb threat, earlier this month an American Airlines flight was delayed by more than four hours because a passenger arrived at Austin Airport with their Wi-Fi hotspot saved as ‘I have a bomb’.
There was a similar incident on 31st October 2024, when an American Airlines Airbus A319 made an emergency landing at Washington Dulles Airport. The aircraft’s engine failed during its flight forcing an emergency diversion to avoid a fall.
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