Two Emirates flights from the Athens airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” to Dubai and New York were ordered to divert the following information relayed by the CIA to Greek authorities of a possible terrorist threat.
After intelligence from the CIA, assessed as serious by the Greek national intelligence services (EYP), that a suspected Arab passenger was on board a company flight from Athens, one was immobilised before take-off and the second returned to land in Athens.

At the Eleftherios Venizelos airport, a crisis management committee quickly and passengers of the flight to Dubai were thoroughly checked, as well as their luggage without locating the suspicious person. Shortly after 9pm, passengers started boarding the plane again – and the flight will be delayed by more than three hours.

The second flight, EK 209 bound for New York had already taken off and was over Italy (Sardinia) when the pilot was notified to land immediately. However, neither France nor Italy cleared the plane for landing at any of their airports forcing it to return to Athens, the starting point of the route. The plane changed its route and is only flying over the sea, avoiding the land.