AN AIR FRANCE jetliner heading from Paris to New York was escorted by US fighter planes for the last stretch of the trip because of a threat against the flight, the airline said.

Flight AF022 landed at JFK 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.

ABC News said a “chemical weapons threat” was phoned into the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center, which coordinates federal, state and local agencies in the gathering and analysis of intelligence information.

The report adds that the threat is currently not being considered credible. The caller, whose location could be not be traced, said three unnamed flights would also be targeted.

Pentagon officials were not immediately available for comment following the incident, which occurred as the United States 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 2015, additional reporting by Nicky Ryan