An American Airlines flight from New York to New Delhi was forced to make an emergency landing in Italy on Sunday, February 23, following a bomb threat, according to the Flight Emergency site and airport sources.
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, carrying 199 passengers and crew, was flying over the Caspian Sea when the airline alerted the crew to the potential threat. This prompted the plane to turn back and land at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci International Airport at approximately 16:20 GMT.
Francesco Garibaldi, a spokesman for the airport, confirmed the unscheduled landing but declined to disclose the reason. He stated that security checks would be conducted after all passengers and crew had disembarked.
A flight-tracking account, Flight Emergency, posted on X that “American flight AA292 will divert to Rome en route to Delhi due to a bomb threat.”
However, sources cited by Reuters indicated that the threat was received via email and was later deemed unfounded by authorities.
American Airlines confirmed that Flight 292 was “inspected by law enforcement” upon landing and had been cleared to continue its journey.
However, the flight remained in Rome overnight to allow for the crew’s mandatory rest period before resuming its journey to New Delhi the following day.
The aircraft had originally departed from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and was bound for Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
An Associated Press reporter at the airport captured footage of two fighter jets flying overhead shortly before the aircraft made its unscheduled landing. Fire trucks were positioned near the landing strip as a precautionary measure.
Passengers on board described the experience as unnerving.
Neeraj Chopra, a passenger, recounted that the captain informed them of a change in the flight’s “security status” about three hours before their scheduled arrival in New Delhi.
Initially, there was a sense of calm, but Chopra admitted feeling anxious when the captain later announced that fighter jets would be escorting the aircraft to Rome.
“I felt a little panic, wondering what was really going on,” Chopra told the Associated Press.
Jonathan Bacon, a 22-year-old passenger from Dayton, Ohio, said he began monitoring the in-flight tracker after the captain announced a “diversion due to a security issue.”
He noticed the plane making a sharp turn away from New Delhi and heading toward Rome.
Passengers had limited internet access during the flight, with intermittent connectivity revealing early reports of the situation about two hours before landing.
Upon arrival in Rome, passengers were transported by bus to the terminal, where they and their belongings underwent additional security screenings.
Bacon described the process as lengthy and more rigorous than usual. More than two hours after landing, he and his travel companion were still waiting for their checked luggage, which was undergoing security inspection.
“It was definitely the longest flight to Europe I’ve ever taken,” Bacon said.