Two Air France flights from US to Paris diverted over security threat
18 Nov 2015
Two Air France flights en route to Paris from the US were diverted today over security issues.
An Airbus A-380 that took off from Los Angeles landed in Salt Lake City, where passengers and crew were being taken off the plane and escorted into the terminal, an FAA spokesman said.
The spokesman added another flight that left Dulles International Airport outside Washington was diverted to Halifax International Airport in Nova Scotia, also due to an unspecified security concern.
Passengers and crew of both flights were safely evacuated, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
According to Halifax airport spokesman Peter Spurway, the Air France Boeing 777 jet was diverted to Halifax at 10:15 pm eastern time and was currently standing at the end of the airport's main runway.
"It's an RCMP matter," Spurway said referring to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. "The passengers are being deplaned at this point and being transferred to a secure area of the terminal building because they're international passengers."
CNN cited a US government official as saying that Flight 65, which originated in Los Angeles, was diverted after a bomb threat was called in from the ground. The official had no knowledge of any arrests being made in connection with that incident.
Halifax airport spokesman Peter Spurway said the Air France Boeing 777 jet was diverted to Halifax at 10:15 pm eastern time and was currently sitting at the end of the airport's main runway.
The flights were "subjects of anonymous threats received by phone after takeoff," Air France spokesperson Christophe Paumier said.
Before the jets were cleared for flight, the airline said that "authorities are carrying out complete inspections of the aircraft, the passengers and their luggage."
According to the FBI, no evidence had been found to suggest the threats were credible.
