Officials have reported that two Air France flights from the United States to Paris have been diverted due to terrorist threats.
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“Air France confirms that flights AF065 from Los Angeles (LAX) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and AF055 en route from Washington Dulles (IAD) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) were subjects of anonymous threats received by telephone after their respective take-offs”, the company said in a statement.
The airline confirmed that a bomb threat prompted the it to interrupt Air France Flight 65 headed from Los Angeles to Paris and divert it to Salt Lake City.
Separately, all 262 passengers and crew aboard Flight 55 got off the aircraft safely, Halifax Airport said. Passengers from Flight 65 are said to be back in France, while passengers from Flight 55 were expected to leave Halifax at 3:45 a.m. today, after being originally scheduled to leave at 7 p.m. last night. The passengers were disembarked and accommodated in the city before the plane took-off again for Paris later in the day because of “regulatory limitation of the crew’s flight time”.
CNN cited a USA government official as saying that Flight 65, which originated in Los Angeles, was diverted after a bomb threat was called in from the ground.
“As a precautionary measure and to conduct all necessary security checks, Air France… made a decision to request the landings of both aircraft”, the carrier said.
Emergency vehicles sit parked near an Air France plane that was diverted to Salt Lake City global Airport, Tuesday, November 17, 2015, in Salt Lake City.
“We had just finished dinner and the flight attendants came by to clear out our plates and trays rather quickly and then an announcement was made over the loud speaker that we would be making an emergency landing, that the flight attendants were trained for situations like this”, said AF65 passenger Keith Russo.
Authorities carried out full inspections on the aircraft, their passengers and their luggage.
In Halifax, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was leading the investigation.
Kenitzer says he could offer no further details on the security issue.
“Serious plans for explosions” forced the evacuation of a stadium in Hannover, Germany, on Tuesday night before a Netherlands-Germany soccer match, a local police chief told Germany’s public broadcaster NDR.
“There were huge buses when we landed that they loaded us all on”, Moran said.
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“Thorough searches, checking documentation – they are very, very thorough now”, Greg Pellerin said.
