Footage shows the moment an American Airlines flight en route to New Delhi from New York was diverted by Italian fighter jets, landing in Rome because of a “possible security concern.”
Why It Matters
Last month, an American Airline passenger jet crashed in Washington, D.C., killing all on board. Other high-profile and deadly airplane crashes have occurred in recent months, leading to heightened concerns about the safety of flying, although data shows that crashes remain exceptionally rare.
Aaron Schwartz/Sipa via AP
What To Know
On Sunday, David Cenciotti, a journalist in Rome who runs the military aviation site the Aviationist, recorded footage of a Boeing 787 being redirected in the air by military jets over Rome to Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport.
Cenciotti told Storyful, a social media news and intelligence agency, that the two jets were Italian air force Eurofighter Typhoons. An account for the Aviationist also posted the footage on X, formerly Twitter.
The flight, AA292, which had about 200 people on board, made a U-turn near Turkmenistan and diverted to Rome Fiumicino Airport on Sunday, according to AviationSource.
Law enforcement met the aircraft upon its arrival at Rome’s airport, a source familiar with the incident said.
Indian media reported that there was a bomb threat against the aircraft, and Flight Emergency, a flight-tracking account on X with more than 195,000 followers, also wrote that the diversion was due to a bomb threat.
American Airlines has not clarified the cause of the concern, but it told Newsweek on Monday that the “possible issue was determined to be non-credible, but per DEL Airport protocol, an inspection was required before landing at DEL.”
According to the Associated Press, Neeraj Chopra, a passenger on board, said the captain announced that the plane had to turn around about three hours before it was supposed to land in New Delhi because of a change in “security status.”
Chopra told the outlet he was traveling from Detroit to visit family and described the mood on the plane as initially calm after the announcement. However, he felt the stress building after the captain said fighter jets would be escorting their plane to Rome.
He told the AP: “I felt a little panic of, okay, what’s going on here? There’s got to be like something bigger going on here.”
Another passenger, Jonathan Bacon, 22, from Ohio, told the AP that after landing in Rome, the passengers were taken to the terminal via buses. There, they had each of their personal items put through additional security screening.
Bacon added that checked baggage also underwent security checks, telling the outlet that two hours after landing, he and his friend were still waiting for their bags.
What People Are Saying
American Airlines told Newsweek: “American Airlines flight 292, with service from New York (JFK) to Delhi (DEL), diverted to Rome (FCO) due to a possible security concern. The flight landed safely at FCO, and law enforcement inspected and cleared the aircraft to re-depart. Safety and security are our top priorities and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”
What Happens Next
The airline said on Sunday that the flight would stay in Rome overnight to allow the crew to rest and that it would depart for New Delhi on Monday “as soon as possible.”