A Delhi-bound American Airlines flight from New York was diverted to Rome due to a bomb scare on Sunday afternoon (local time). Two Italian Air Force Eurofighter jets escorted the plane safely to Fiumicino Airport as a precautionary step.
The Italian Air Force posted photos on social media, indicating the fighter jets escorting the commercial flight. Their caption said, “#Scramble : in the afternoon two #Eurofighter of #AeronauticaMilitare took off on alert to identify and escort a commercial aircraft headed to Delhi which had reversed course towards Fiumicino airport (RM) due to a report of a presumed explosive device on board.”
#Scramble: nel pomeriggio due #Eurofighter dell’#AeronauticaMilitare sono decollati su allarme per identificare e scortare un aereo di linea diretto a Delhi che aveva invertito rotta verso l’aeroporto di Fiumicino (RM) per una segnalazione di un presunto ordigno esplosivo a bordo pic.twitter.com/qocq43lC6H
— Aeronautica Militare (@ItalianAirForce) February 23, 2025
Passengers Describe Moments of Fear
Mahesh Kumar, a consultant in IT who was on board, explained the tense environment as the fighter jets escorted the plane. “They asked us to sit down and not to roam around while the fighter jets were near us,” he said to AFP.
American Airlines AA292 flight took off from John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, on February 22 at 8:11 PM (local time), says flight tracker FlightAware. The plane turned around while in flight over the Caspian Sea, prompting its emergency diversion to Rome.
Three hours ahead of its timed arrival at Delhi, the pilot told passengers about the diversion due to “security reasons.” Mr. Kumar remembered, “Everyone was afraid. Everyone was staying quiet and obeying the orders.”
Airline Remains Mum on Security Issue
The plane had 199 passengers and crew. American Airlines would not say what kind of threat it described as a “possible security concern.” According to Italy’s ANSA news agency, an “alleged bomb threat” caused the diversion.
Passengers Praise Cabin Crew’s Handling of the Crisis
Passenger Yash Raj called the incident a “horror-comedy” but later praised the cabin crew for their composed reaction. “Also, we have safely deboarded the aircraft. Huge credit to the cabin crew for handling the situation so well. Everyone in the aircraft was calm,” he posted.
Life keeps giving me these little horror-comedies. Was on American Airlines AA292 😂 pic.twitter.com/Yq8keaEd3C
— Yash Raj (@yraj__) February 23, 2025
The threat is being investigated by authorities, and passengers are waiting for further news on their flight to Delhi.
