This afternoon, two Eurofighter aircraft from the Italian Air Force took off on alert from Grosseto, in technical jargon “scrambled,” to identify and escort to landing an American Airlines aircraft, which had departed from New York bound for Delhi, and had changed its course due to a report of a suspected explosive device on board.

The two Eurofighters, having reached the aircraft, escorted it safely, allowing it to land without further problems at Rome Fiumicino airport around 5:30 PM.

The immediate take-off order was issued shortly after 4 p.m. by the CAOC (Combined Air Operation Centre) in Torrejon, Spain, the NATO body responsible for the area, under the control of the 11th Integrated Missile Air Defence Group (D.A.M.I.) of Poggio Renatico.

The Italian Air Force ensures 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, seamless surveillance of National Airspace, through a complex integrated air defence system that has been in place since peacetime with that of other NATO countries.