Two Air France Flights From US To Paris Diverted

Two Air France flights en route to Paris from the United States were diverted following anonymous bomb threats.

Flight AF65, an Airbus A380 that departed from Los Angeles landed in Salt Lake City, where passengers and crew were taken off the plane and taken to the terminal, an FAA spokesman said. The Salt Lake Tribune, citing an airport official, said the plane was carrying 497 passengers and crew.

Flight AF55 from Washington's Dulles Airport, with 262 passengers and crew on board, diverted to Halifax Airport in Nova Scotia.

In a brief statement, Air France said both flights had been the "subjects of anonymous threats received after their respective take-offs."

"As a precautionary measure and to conduct all necessary security checks, Air France, applying the safety regulations in force, decided to request the landings of both aircraft," the airline said in its statement.

"Local authorities are carrying out complete inspections of the aircraft, their passengers and their luggage," the statement said. “An investigation will be led by the authorities to identify the source of the telephone call.”

Security officials have been on high alert since Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for attacks last week in Paris that killed 129 people. Russia has said the group was also responsible for the downing on October 31 of a plane returning to St. Petersburg from the Sharm el-Sheikh resort in Egypt, killing all 224 on board.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Halifax said on its Twitter feed that police dogs were searching the place for the possibility of explosives.

Halifax airport spokesman Peter Spurway said the Air France Boeing 777 was parked at the end of the airport’s main runway and passengers were transferred to a secure area of the terminal building.

"Several law enforcement agencies are working in concert, following established protocol, to determine the nature of the threats which caused the aircraft to divert," FBI Special Agent Todd Palmer, of the agency's Salt Lake City division, told CNN.

Diverted passengers began sharing photos and comments via social media.

Keith Rosso, who tweeted a photo shortly after takeoff from Los Angeles, said he was "Thankful to everyone who has been working to keep everyone calm and make sure air travel is safe. Hope to be taking off again shortly."