American Airlines flight diverted from tarmac due to bomb threat determined to be not credible: FBI

An American Airlines flight was diverted off the tarmac Friday in El Paso, Texas, before take-off due to a bomb threat, but law enforcement nows says the threat was not credible.

An FBI official told local station KVIA-TV that passengers on American Airlines Flight 2051 were not in danger following receipt of a bomb threat.

“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,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Downey on Friday.

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Officials at El Paso International Airport and the FBI office in El Paso to several precautionary measures after the threat was received, Downey said.

The flight eventually departed en route to Chicago O’Hare International airport at 5:01 p.m. MST Friday, KVIA reported.

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American Airlines Flight 2051 arrived safely, albeit five hours late, in Chicago at 8:56 p.m. CST Friday, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. 

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A flight with the same tracking number is scheduled to depart O’Hare International at 9:30 a.m. CST Saturday.

“Prior to departure, American Airlines flight 2051 with service from El Paso, Texas (ELP) to Chicago (ORD) returned to the gate and was met by law enforcement due to a possible security issue,” American Airlines told Fox Business in a statement. “Safety and security are our top priorities and we thank our customers for their understanding and cooperation and our team members for their professionalism.”