American Airlines Flight AA292, en route from New York to Delhi, made an emergency U-turn near Turkmenistan and diverted to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport following reports of an onboard bomb threat, according to aviation authorities and social media updates.
Real-time flight tracking data shows the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner executing a sharp turn over the Caspian Sea near Turkmenistan in Central Asia and heading toward Rome. The aircraft also hovered over the Italian east coast, making a big O, before proceeding to Rome.
Italian Airforce intercepted and escorted the jet after it entered Italian airspace. The aircraft was slowed down for a moment to allow the Eurofighters to join it.
Thanks to a post provided us from @qimcel we can confirm that 2 Italian Airforce jets have now intercepted the American Airlines flight as it heads towards Rome under escort. pic.twitter.com/VZw9wmYsY7
— AviationSource (@AvSourceNews) February 23, 2025
In a statement, the airline said, “AA 292, operating from New York to Delhi, has been diverted to Rome due to a potential security threat onboard. We are working closely with local authorities and will provide updates as the situation develops. We appreciate the patience and cooperation of our passengers.”
While the exact nature of the security threat was not mentioned, social media posts by aviation handles claim this has been done due to a bomb threat.
Many social media users questioned why the flight was diverted from Turkmenistan to Rome when there were so many airports in the area where the flight took the U-turn.
The flight path shows that after taking the U-turn around just 50 km away from Turkmenbashi International Airport, the flight flew over the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Black Sea, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania and Adriatic Sea before entering Italy. The plane flew back almost 3500 km from the Caspian Sea to Rome.
