Alitalia jet lands safely in Maine

An Alitalia jet en route from Milan to Boston, diverted to Maine today because the name of a passenger on board matched that of a person on the US government’s no-fly list, has landed safely.

Flight 618 landed shortly before 1pm (6pm Irish time) after Canadian and US fighter jets escorted the Boeing 767 to Bangor, where it was met by federal agents. It had been due to arrive in Boston about the same time.

The Transportation Security Administration is “working with Alitalia to determine how the passenger was allowed to board the aircraft”, TSA spokeswoman Yolanda Clark said. The nationality of the passenger was not immediately known.

She said there was “no unusual activity on board” that would have alarmed other passengers or the flight crew.

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 nearly the same name and birth date as a person on the list of suspected terrorists.

The list is reserved for individuals who have known or suspected links to terrorism, or who have been otherwise identified as a threat to aviation, Clark said.