PARIS, July 11 – An Air France jumbo jet with 405 passengers on board, en route to Paris, landed in Recife on Brazil\’s Atlantic coast overnight after a false bomb alert, the airline announced Sunday.
"The crew of flight AF 443 Rio-Paris was informed during the flight that there could be an explosive device on board," Air France said in a statement.
The pilot was therefore asked to land in Recife for an inspection of the aircraft, said Air France.
All passengers left the plane during the search.
The Boeing 747 was expected to pursue its flight later in the day.
Air France said the plane had a crew of three pilots and 15 flight attendants.
An Air France Airbus A330 crashed off Brazil en route for Paris on June 1 last year, killing all 228 people on board.
The crash was the worst in Air France\’s 75-year-history.
PARIS