Lufthansa flight diverted to JFK Airport after bomb threat

NEW YORK -- The Port Authority says Lufthansa Flight #441 from Houston to Frankfurt was diverted to JFK Airport after a bomb threat was called in.

The plane was taken to a remote area at JFK.

The call was made to Lufthansa corporate headquarters. The caller said that there was a bomb aboard the airplane.

Headquarters notified the captain, who made the decision to divert to JFK.

The Port Authority Police Aircraft Rescue Firefighter Unit and Port Authority Police Patrol officers responded to the scene.

PAPD, NYPD, JTTF have all determined this is most likely unfounded, but they are going to have to offload all passengers and interview them and screen luggage.

The plane involved is an A380, which is the world's largest plane, with 530 people aboard.

The NYPD bomb squad and Port Authority K-9 unit are being brought in to search the plane.

Passengers most likely will spend the night in hotels.

Late Monday night, Lufthansa released a statement saying, "The flight LH441 from Houston, Texas to Frankfurt was diverted to JFK as a matter of precaution and in coordination with the relevant authorities and the pilot. The flight landed safely in New York City at 8.34 pm EST. The passengers disembarked the aircraft and were shuttled to the terminal. LH staff will take care of the passengers. The aircraft will be searched since the safety and security of our passengers, crew and aircraft are always our highest priority."