Two arriving flights searched at Kennedy airport after threat

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A telephone threat to two airplanes arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Monday prompted authorities to search the aircraft after they landed but nothing was found, officials said.

The planes were taken to an isolated area and searched for explosives and the passengers were interviewed, said Ron Marsico, spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that oversees operations at area airports.

"All is clear here," he said following the search. "Nothing was amiss." He said the "threatening" call indicated there could have been explosives on board.

The federal Transportation Security Administration confirmed the all-clear for both planes, American Airlines Flight 24 from San Francisco and Finnair Flight 5 from Helsinki.

"Both flights have been cleared ... and are headed to the gate at this time," the TSA said in a statement.

Following the threatening call, the planes were searched "out of an abundance of caution," the TSA said.

(Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst; editing by Philip Barbara)