A bomb threat against an American Airlines flight that diverted the plane from the tarmac of a Texas airport Friday was not credible, a law enforcement official said. An FBI official said the passengers on the noon flight from El Paso, Texas, to Chicago were not in danger despite the threat, KVIA-TV reported. “While an assessment is always conducted following receipt of a threat, there is no known credible threat to the aircraft or passengers at this time,” Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Downey said Friday. Officials at El Paso International Airport and the FBI’s El Paso office took precautionary safety measures after the threat was received, Downey said. The flight eventually departed in the late afternoon for Chicago O’Hare International Airport, KVIA reported. The tracking website FlightAware indicated the flight arrived safely, and another flight with the same identification number was preparing to return to El Paso on Saturday.<br/>“Safety and security are our top priorities, and we thank our customers for their understanding and cooperation and our team members for their professionalism,” American Airlines said.<br/>
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The American Airlines pilots involved in a near-collision on a runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport last month will comply with a subpoena to testify before the National Transportation Safety Board, their union said. “The pilots intend to appear for their interviews in accordance with the subpoenas,” the Allied Pilots Association said. “All parties to the investigation (other than the NTSB) are prohibited from speaking about the investigation while it is pending under NTSB rules,” the statement said. The pilots had originally objected to testifying because the NTSB intended to record the interviews. The NTSB responded by subpoenaing their testimony. The NTSB issued the subpoena last week. In a preliminary report, the NTSB says the American Airlines 777 crossed an active runway without clearance from air traffic control, causing a Delta 737 to abort its takeoff on Friday, January 13. The report says the two aircraft came within 1,400 feet of each other.<br/>
Russia said on Friday that it had summoned the Dutch ambassador over what it called "obsessive attempts" by the Dutch authorities to hold it responsible for the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine in 2014. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the joint investigation team set up to establish who was responsible of being "politicised". Prosecutors said last week at The Hague they had found "strong indications" that Russian President Vladimir Putin had approved the use in Ukraine of a Russian BUK missile system used to shoot down the plane over eastern Ukraine in 2014. The summoning of its ambassador would not change the determination of the Netherlands to bring those who were responsible for downing the plane to justice, Dutch vice Prime Minister Sigrid Kaag said. "We are looking for international justice, and we aim for the finding of the truth for victims and their relatives," Kaag told reporters in The Hague. "This is all part of the game of diplomacy, but we know what we stand for. The ambassador will listen to their message and relay it to us, and that will be that."<br/>
Qantas passengers travelling to Sydney from Santiago, Chile, were forced to spend half the night on the tarmac after storms diverted their flight to Williamtown-Newcastle Airport. The packed Dreamliner attempted to land in Sydney on Saturday evening, but was among several flights unable to do so due to the storms circling the city. However, it was the only international Qantas flight that was diverted. Passenger John Myers said it was the bumpiest flight he had ever encountered and that a crew member had described it as “extreme”. A few people vomited. Meanwhile at Newcastle Airport, which is not set up for Boeing Dreamliner 787 operations, the plane was unable to immediately refuel and return to Sydney. There was no accommodation in Newcastle and no immigration facilities. Passengers sat on the tarmac for nearly seven hours, until they were finally allowed to disembark for a night at the airport. Flight crew came around with McDonald’s hamburgers and drinks in the early hours of the morning. The flight reloaded and landed in Sydney just before 10am on Sunday morning. Qantas said in a statement that storms had impacted several airlines and required some flights to be diverted to other airports. “This included our flight from Santiago to Sydney which diverted to Newcastle. Qantas customer support team members travelled from Sydney to Newcastle to assist customers in the terminal through the night,” the statement said. “We understand that this would have been a frustrating experience for our customers and an uncomfortable night, and we thank them for their patience and understanding of the impact the storms had on flights into Sydney.”<br/>