Fighter jets scramble after American Airlines bomb threat

Fighter pilots shadowed an American Airlines passenger plane after a reported bomb threat aboard the flight from New York to Delhi. Watch the video.

An American Airlines flight from New York City to New Delhi was turned around over the Caspian Sea and landed in Rome under the escort of Italian fighter jets after a security concern.

The threat later proved to be “non-credible,” the airline said.

American Airlines Flight 292 made an abrupt U-turn near Turkmenistan due to a “possible security issue,” American Airlines confirmed.

The American Airlines flight and fighter jet beside it.

The fighter jet was from the Italian Air Force. Picture: AFP

The plane was carrying 199 passengers plus crew. Picture: AFP

An American Airlines spokesperson told CBS the plane had landed safely.

“The flight landed safely at FCO, and law enforcement inspected and cleared the aircraft to re-depart,” the spokesperson said, adding that the issue was determined to be “non-credible”.

Earlier, the airline said safety and security was its top priorities, thanking customers for their “understanding”.

The plane diverted due to a bomb threat, according to airline tracking site Flight Radar 24.

Images from social media showed the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner being tailed by two Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon warplanes.

The view from inside the fighter jet.

The flight landed safely in Rome. Picture: AP

The plane left John F Kennedy International Airport in New York around 12.30pm Sunday AEDT for the 14-hour flight to India’s capital.

It landed in Rome around 3.15am Monday AEDT after making a massive loop back to Europe.

Earlier in February an American Airlines flight was evacuated and then delayed for nearly five hours in Texas because a passenger had a Wi-Fi hotspot titled, “There is a bomb on the flight.”

This story originally appeared in The New York Post.