Air France flights from LA, DC to Paris diverted due to threats


Two Air France flights were diverted while en route from U.S. cities to Paris Tuesday night, reportedly due to threats against them. Both planes landed safely and no on-board incidents were reported.

Flight 65: LAX to Paris

Officials say an Air France flight bound for Paris from Los Angeles was diverted to Salt Lake City because of a phoned-in bomb threat. The plane landed without incident and all the passengers got off safely.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said Air France Flight 65, an Airbus A-380, had taken off from Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday night for Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

Salt Lake City International Airport spokeswoman Bianca Shreeve said the empty plane was a safe distance from the terminal, and the FBI was taking over the investigation with assistance from airport police and K-9 units.

Flight 55: Dulles to Paris

Due to another reported security threat, Air France Flight 55 from Dulles to Paris also was diverted, to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

A passenger later told CNN over the phone that the flight had been in the air more than two hours when the announcement came that they would be landing due to "operational issues." He said a flight attendant said after the plane landed that it was a security issue.

The passenger said the aircraft was surrounded by emergency vehiclees when it landed and was being checked out by bomb-sniffing dogs. He said passengers were told the security check could take two to four hours.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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