United States fighter jets have scrambled to escort an Air France jet heading from France to New York after officials received an anonymous bomb threat against the flight, airline and US officials have said.

Flight AF022 landed at John F. Kennedy international airport without incident and was later taken to a special area of the airport for a security search, an Air France official in Paris said.

The threat was made by telephone from the United States, the official said.

It was a bomb threat phoned in to a Maryland state police barracks shortly after 6.30am, said police spokesman Greg Shipley.

The FBI was notified immediately.

US media reported that the threat was not considered credible.

Pentagon officials were not immediately available for comment following the incident, which occurred as the US marked its Memorial Day holiday.

An official at the Federal Aviation Administration said the agency was aware of the incident but declined to elaborate.

CNN said the escort planes were two F-15 fighter jets.


AFP