Alitalia flight diverted to Maine after passenger name fear

An Alitalia jet en route from Milan, Italy, to Boston was being diverted to Bangor, Maine, today because the name of a passenger on board matched that of a person on the US government’s no-fly list, officials said.

Flight 618 was due to arrive in Boston about 1pm (6pm Irish time), Alitalia spokeswoman Marta-Marie Lotti said. It was due in Bangor between 12.30 and 1pm, Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Yolanda Clark said.

It was the second time in less than a week that a Boston-bound European flight was diverted to Bangor.

On Thursday, an Air France flight from Paris landed there because someone on board had a same name and birth date nearly the same as a person on the government’s list of suspected terrorists.

That flight continued to Boston less than two hours later after the passenger of interest was detained by federal immigration officials, along with three of his family members.

The four were later released and allowed to continue their trip after officials determined the man was not the one on the no-fly list.