An Air France jet flying on a route which claimed hundreds of lives last summer was forced into an emerged landing today following a bomb scare.
The jumbo jet had 405 passengers and 18 crew on board when it received a warning three hours into a flight from Rio de Janeiro and Paris.

An Air France Airbus A330 flying exactly the same route on June 1st last year crashed off Brazil en route for France,  killing all 228 people on board.

The exact cause of the tragedy – the worst in the airline’s 75 year history – has not yet been established, but foul play, including terrorism, has largely been ruled out.

This time round the pilot was told to land at Recife in Brazil for an inspection of the aircraft, with all passengers being told to evacuate.

A woman had telephoned the warning to the Galeao Antonio Carlos Jobim airport in Rio

‘The crew of flight AF 443 Rio-Paris was informed during the flight that there could be an explosive device on board,’ said an Air France spokesman, who said the plane had three pilots and 15 flight attendants on board.

He said the bomb threat has been radioed on to the plane, which landed at around 3.45am local time.

Recife airport was closed for around an hour before landing so that the emergency services could prepare for the landing.

The search of the aircraft and all luggage on board did not find a single trace of explosives, said the Air France spokesman. It was due to resume its journey to France later today.

Despite a massive search in the Atlantic, the black boxes of the Air France plane which crashed last summer have still not been found, meaning the exact cause of the tragedy may never be fully established.

(Source: Daily Mail UK)