Official: Flights canceled only on 'specific intelligence'
British Airways' London to Riyadh flight canceled
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British Airways Flight 217 landed at Dulles two hours late Friday after additional screening in London.
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VIDEO
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CNN's Jamie McIntyre on a British Airways flight escorted by jet fighters to Dulles.
CNN's Kelli Arena reports on possible attacks by al Qaeda and related groups.
British plan for marshals on some flights to U.S.meets resistance.
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| INTERRUPTED JOURNEYS |
Flights disrupted in the last week amid security concernsSaturday, January 3• British Airways Flt. 263, London-Riyahd, Saudi Arabia, CanceledFriday, January 2 •British Airways Flt. 223, London-Washington, Canceled
• British Airways Flt. 217, London-Washington, Delayed 2 hours
• British Airways Flt. 216, Washington-London, delayed while plane searched
Thursday, January 1 •British Airways Flt. 223, London-Washington, Canceled
• BritishAirways Flt. 216, Washington-London, Delayed, passengers rescreened
•Aeromexico Flt. 490, Mexico City-Los Angeles - Canceled
• Air France Flt. 3112, New York-Paris, diverted to Canada Wednesday, December 31 •Aeromexico Flt. 490, Mexico City-Los Angeles, Canceled • British Airways Flt. 223, London-Washington, detained in D.C., passengers rescreened
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Amid extraordinary cancellations of international flights in recent days due to security reasons, a top U.S. official said Friday such steps would only be taken if there was "specific intelligence" indicating a possible attack.
"In some cases, it's necessary based upon that (intelligence) to cancel that flight," Asa Hutchinson, the U.S. undersecretary for border and transportation security, told CNN.
"We make the judgments based upon the security measures that are in place, the risk that's assessed, coordination with the other government -- and I think we've made some really good decisions."
Hutchinson would not elaborate about what the intelligence indicated.
However, U.S. officials tell CNN's Justice Department correspondent Kelli Arena that intelligence from an informant and other sources regarding British Airways Flight 223 is what led to its cancellation two days in a row.
The sources said the information had nothing to do with the passenger list, but instead focused on the flight number. And while there remains some question about the credibility of the information, officials say authorities cannot take any chances.
In raising the nation's terror alert level to Code Orange, the second-highest level on the five-tiered system, the Department of Homeland Security on December 21 said al Qaeda may use international flights to launch attacks on the United States. It was the first time since May that the level had been raised.
U.S. counterterrorism officials have said al Qaeda wants to launch an attack more spectacular than the September 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in the United States.
At least nine international flights have been either canceled or delayed for security reasons since Wednesday, primarily flights involving British Airways.
British Airways Flight 223 from London to Washington was canceled Friday for the second day in a row, two days after the flight received a jet fighter escort into a Washington airport, the airline said.
The reverse flight, British Airways Flight 222, which travels from Washington Dulles International Airport to London's Heathrow Airport, was also canceled Thursday night because there was no plane available.
Hutchinson said he believes authorities took appropriate action on Flight 223.
"We will take the necessary steps to protect the traveling public. That is what happened in this case," he said.
British Airways Friday also canceled its Saturday flight from London to Riyadh for "security reasons," according to a company spokesman. Flight 263 was to have departed Heathrow Airport at 1:35 p.m. Saturday.
With the United States on "high alert" status, law enforcement officials are taking an unusual number of measures to prevent terrorist attacks, including detaining planes upon arrival in the United States, restricting oil tanker access to a major U.S. port and denying landing rights for flights operated by airlines in other countries.
Several Aeromexico and Air France flights have also been canceled this week. Six Air France flights were canceled over the Christmas holiday.
Thursday night, an Air France plane on a New York-to-Paris flight made an unscheduled landing in Newfoundland because authorities were worried there was a bomb on the plane, the president of St. John's Airport Authority said Friday.
The crew at John F. Kennedy International Airport noticed a "luggage error" shortly after the plane departed, but it turned out to be a piece of luggage loaded by mistake. The luggage was inspected at the airport in Newfoundland and found to be free of explosives, the spokesman said.
A spokeswoman with the French Interior Ministry Police told CNN on Friday there were misspellings in certain names, which led to confusion since the passengers had names similar to those on terrorist lists. (Full story)
Several British Airways flights under scrutiny
The British Airways incidents began Wednesday night, when Flight 223 was escorted by fighter jets to Dulles after authorities said the names of about a dozen passengers appeared to match those on a terrorist watch list.
The Boeing 747 was already in flight from Heathrow Airport in London when authorities noticed the similarity in the names, prompting the emergency response.
B.A. said it canceled its flight Thursday at the request of the British government. In addition to the cancellation of Flight 222 from Dulles, another British Airways flight from Dulles to Heathrow was delayed four hours Thursday evening as the Transportation Security Administration rescreened passengers and baggage, an airport official said.
The TSA had security concerns and wanted to "err on the side of caution," the official said.
A Pentagon official told CNN last week that the possibility of an al Qaeda attack using an airliner -- either one coming to the United States from Mexico or an Air France plane -- remained a major concern.
In Mexico City, an Aeromexico flight to Los Angeles was canceled twice in two days amid security concerns, officials said.
Earlier this week, the Homeland Security Department called on international airlines to put guards on some flights that fly to, from or over the United States. (Full story)
Airliners that fail to place marshals onboard flights when notified may be refused government permission to land or fly over the United States.
