American Airlines flight lands in Rome after 'security' issue
An American Airlines flight from New York to New Delhi was diverted to Rome Sunday afternoon following "a possible security concern", the airline said.
"American Airlines flight 292, with service from New York (JFK) to Delhi (DEL), diverted to Rome (FCO) due to a possible security concern," the US-based carrier said in a statement.
"The flight landed safely at FCO, and law enforcement inspected and cleared the aircraft to re-depart."
The statement offered no details on the nature of the security incident. Earlier, an Italian airport spokesman said the diversion was due to an "alleged bomb scare".
The Boeing plane carrying 199 passengers plus crew landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport at 5:22 pm (1622 GMT) without further incident.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the plane had landed safely "after the crew reported a security issue."
The flight was escorted by two military fighter planes, the Italian airport spokesman said, and "all passengers were disembarked and received assistance" at Rome's airport.
Airport operations were not affected, the same source said.
The flight had taken off from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday at around 8:11 pm local time (01:11 GMT Sunday), according to flight tracking website Flight Aware.
An airline official said the aircraft landed in Rome due to Indian protocol requirements.
"The possible issue was determined to be non-credible, but per DEL Airport protocol, an inspection was required before landing at DEL," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"The flight will stay in FCO overnight to allow for required crew rest before continuing to DEL as soon as possible tomorrow."
American Airlines is one of the largest US air carriers, and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas.
Its international operations serve more than 60 countries outside of the United States, according to the airline's website.
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