Aug 25, 2006 7:40 am US/Eastern
Trans-Atlantic Flight To Chicago Diverted To Maine
BANGOR, Maine (AP) ―
A trans-Atlantic flight from Manchester, England, en route to Chicago was diverted to the Bangor International Airport on Friday, officials said.
American Airlines Flight 55, a Boeing 763, was diverted for security reasons, said Arlene Murray, New England regional spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration. She declined to elaborate.
Police confirmed that there was an incident at the airport but provided no details. Federal agents were at the airport, as well.
FBI spokeswoman Gail Marcinkiewicz declined to discuss the nature of the problem.
"We're responding to determine the cause of the diversion. It's going to take a number of hours for passengers to be interviewed," Marcinkiewicz said from Boston.
The Bangor airport is a popular place for international flights to touch down early due to mechanical problems, unruly passengers or security threats.
Bangor is the first large U.S. airport for incoming European flights, and it's the last U.S. airport for outgoing flights, providing a safety net for aircraft with uncluttered skies and one of the longest runways on the East Coast.
Twice in less than a week last year, international flights were diverted to the airport because a passenger's name appeared on a no-fly list.
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
