An American Airlines flight heading from New York City to India this weekend was diverted to Rome following what the airline is now referring to as a “non-credible” security concern.
American Airlines Flight 292 was traveling from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Sunday, Feb. 23, before being forced to divert to Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci International Airport after what the airline called a “possible security concern.”
According to Flight Aware, the plane departed N.Y.C. shortly after 8 p.m. local time on Saturday, with the Federal Aviation Administration reporting that the flight “landed safely” in Rome at around 5:30 p.m. local time Sunday “after the crew reported a security issue.”
After landing in Rome, law enforcement “inspected and cleared” the aircraft to re-depart, American Airlines told PEOPLE in a statement, confirming that the “possible issue was determined to be non-credible” and that the New Delhi airport required an inspection before landing.
American Airlines flight leaves Italy on July 23, 2024.
Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty
The flight will remain overnight in Rome, per American Airlines, and will continue on to India “as soon as possible” on Monday. The airline did not elaborate on the specific reason for the flight being diverted.
“Safety and security are our top priorities and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience,” American Airlines said in its statement.
We reached out to reps for John F. Kennedy International Airport and Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO) for additional comment on Sunday. A JFK spokesperson advised reporters to “contact the airline for any information or comment on the flight.”
The aircraft was holding 199 passengers and 15 crew members when those aboard learned of the problem above the Caspian Sea, an FCO spokesperson told CBS News on Sunday. The spokesperson also told the outlet that Italian military fighter jets flanked the plane upon its arrival in Rome and fire trucks also were deployed on the ground. No injures were reported.
According to ABC News, a senior official said a bomb threat was received via email and deemed to be unfounded.
Passenger Neeraj Chopra — who was traveling from Detroit to visit family — told the Associated Press that the captain announced the early landing three hours before the plane was set to arrive in India, citing a change in “security status.”
Chopra added that he felt stressed when he learned fighter jets were escorting the flight to the airport. “I felt a little panic of, okay, what’s going on here?” he recalled. “There’s got to be something bigger going on here.”
Dayton, Ohio, native and fellow passenger Jonathan Bacon told the AP that passengers had no internet connection as he spotted the flight tracker on the seat in front of him showing the plane’s turn as it headed back toward Rome.
Passengers were later loaded onto buses after landing, Bacon said, as they underwent additional security screenings that felt “slightly heightened.”
“It was definitely the longest flight to Europe I’ve ever taken,” Bacon told the AP.
