Bomb threat forces flight to Germany to land at JFK, officials say

A flight from Houston to Frankfurt, Germany, was diverted to Kennedy Airport when the airline received a credible bomb threat by telephone Monday night, authorities said.

All 530 people onboard Lufthansa Airlines Flight 441 were safely taken off the plane shortly after the aircraft landed at Kennedy Airport, Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman said.

The pilot of the plane, an Airbus 380, decided to land at Kennedy Airport after the threat came in shortly after 8 p.m., Coleman said.

He said the double-decker jumbo jet was being examined as passengers and crew were escorted from the plane.

In a statement, a Lufthansa spokeswoman said the flight was diverted to Kennedy Airport “as a matter of precaution and in coordination with the relevant authorities and the pilot.”

The spokeswoman, Christina Semmel, wrote that the flight “landed safely in New York City at 8:34 p.m.” and said the passengers then were shuttled to the terminal.

Airline staff “will take care of the passengers” and the aircraft “will be searched since the safety and security of our passengers, crew and aircraft are always our highest priority.”