An El Al flight from New York that was escorted by military jets in Europe following a bomb threat landed safely in Israel on Tuesday. El Al President David Maimon said Flight 002 from John F. Kennedy airport touched down midday after an anonymous tip was received regarding a potential bomb threat onboard. Following the tip, France and Switzerland deployed military jets over their airspaces as escorts for the Boeing 747 plane flying toward Israel. The threat was ultimately unfounded but it marked a rare security scare for El Al, generally regarded as one of the world's most secure airlines. The Swiss air force said in a statement that it deployed jets around 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) on a so-called "hot mission," that accompanied the flight. Vladi Barrosa, a spokesman for the Swiss government-run air navigation service Skyguide, said the plane left Swiss airspace safely into Austrian airspace. The French air force said it also scrambled jets from an air base in Creil, north of Paris, after receiving a warning from an ally. A spokeswoman, who was not authorized to be publicly named according to military policy, said jets accompanied the El Al flight from the moment it entered French airspace at the Atlantic Coast of Cherbourg until it crossed the Alps into Switzerland. The El Al pilot was in constant contact with the French pilot and with officials monitoring the air space, she said, adding that if it had been a confirmed threat they would have ordered an emergency landing.<br/>
unaligned
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has approved an air operator’s certificate (AOC) for Harbin-based Longjiang Airlines, which is scheduled to launch its inaugural flight this year. The new venture, which is wholly owned by Harbin Xiangyu Co., has a registered capital of CNY800m ($130m). Longjiang Airlines has purchased two Airbus A321s and is expected to lease one A320. It plans to expand its fleet to 30 aircraft by 2020 and is expected to order 15-20 A320s and Embraer E-190s from Airbus and Embraer. The new venture will open domestic regional services from Harbin to routes including Daqing, Qiqihar, Mudanjiang, Jixi, Jiamusi, Heihe and Mohe as well as trunk routes from Harbin to Beijing, Shanghai, Sanya, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Kunming. It also plans to open international routes to Japan, Korea and Russia. Longjiang Airlines has hired 20 pilots, 12 cabin crew, 23 MRO professionals and 30 other aviation staff.<br/>