Dramatic new video has showed the moment two Italian fighter jets escorted an American Airlines flight that took off from JFK Airport in New York City to New Delhi, India after a mid-air bomb threat was received.
American Airlines Flight 292 was flying near Turkmenistan when it made a U-turn and was grounded in Rome due to a ‘possible security issue,’ the airline said.
The airline – which is still reeling from its catastrophic collision with a Black Hawk helicopter that killed everyone onboard a commercial flight in Washington DC last month – confirmed the ordeal on Sunday.
The jet departed around 8.30pm Saturday and was over the Caspian Sea when the airline warned the crew of a bomb threat, sources said. It was eventually grounded in Rome, Italy, at 11.15am EST.
The plane was grounded because of a bomb threat that was received by email, ABC News reported. The concern was later determined to be ‘non-credible,’ the airline said.
A senior official told the outlet that Indian authorities asked that the aircraft be checked prior to landing in New Delhi.
The footage showed the large jet in between two fighter jets just before the aircrafts landed at Leonardo da Vinci Airport.
Francesco Garibaldi, a spokesperson for the airport, did not give the exact reason for the diversion but did say that security checks would be performed as soon as all the passengers and crew get off the the aircraft.
Italian law enforcement inspected and cleared the aircraft to re-depart, American Airlines said. Passengers will stay overnight so the crew can rest before they head off to New Delhi on Monday.
Yash Raj, who said he was onboard the flight during the incident, took to X to share that everyone ‘safely deboarded the aircraft.’
‘Huge credit to the cabin crew for handling the situation so well. Everyone in the aircraft was calm,’ Raj added.
American Airlines said: ‘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.’
Another clip showed a group of people watching as the large aircraft landed on the runway at the airport, as the fighter jets followed behind.
Earlier this month, an American Airlines flight was delayed by more than four hours when a passenger arrived at Austin Airport with their Wi-Fi hotspot saved as ‘I have a bomb’.
Police boarded flight 2863, bound for Charlotte, and asked the passenger to identify themselves, assessing it could be a ‘prank’.
‘Cue the groaning from the entire f***ing plane when the cop announced this,’ one passenger recalled, with choice words for the ‘idiot’ who refused to come forward.
All passengers were eventually hauled off the aircraft and held inside the gate, before being re-screened at security, View from the Wing reports.
Baggage on board the aircraft was taken off the plane and set out on the tarmac for inspection as the passengers waited in a cordoned-off segment.
‘Eventually we are able to board again and take off but the whole thing was just so f***ing infuriating because after all that they were not even able to determine who the hell did this s***,’ a passenger shared.
This occurred amid a troubling start to the year for the aviation industry.
America suffered a fresh tragedy when a packed passenger jet collided with a US Army helicopter and plunged into Washington DC’s Potomac River in January.
The collision took place as the American Airlines flight carrying 64 people made its final approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
There were no survivors – and all bodies were recovered from the river.
A Black Hawk helicopter flying a training sortie cut through the airspace from the opposite direction under cover of darkness, with both aircraft seemingly unaware of the other’s presence.
They slammed into one another just 400ft above ground, erupting in a violent explosion before plunging into the freezing Potomac River below.
In the immediate aftermath, President Donald Trump said he had been ‘fully briefed on this terrible accident’ and, referring to the passengers, added, ‘May God Bless their souls’, while American Airlines CEO Robert Isom expressed ‘deep sorrow’ for the crash.
In yet another incident involving American Airlines, passengers aboard a regional flight were warned to ‘brace for impact’ after the jet reported an emergency onboard on Thursday.
The jet, which was operating as their regional carrier American Eagle, had been travelling from Jacksonville, Florida to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
According to FlightRadar data, flight AA4514 called in a 7700 transponder code which is used to indicate an emergency.
The jet managed to touch down just before 10am, with one passenger taking to X saying: ‘Brake issues so we were braced for emergency brakes potentially worse. Spirits are high now!
‘Shout out Captain and crew for for having everyone prepped though, turned out to feel like a smooth landing.’