El Al flight lands in Tel Aviv after Swiss fighter jets intercept it due to bomb tip-off
Two Swiss Air Force jets have been scrambled to escort an El Al Boeing 747 en route from New York to Tel Aviv after an anonymous tip-off about a bomb on board, according to Haaretz. The flight landed safely at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport.
The two F/A-18 fighter jets escorted the El Al plane through Switzerland’s airspace from the French border, the Swiss Air Force said in a statement.
Knall durch 2 F/A18 auf Abfangmission. SH Richtung Altenrhein. Mission inzwischen beendet. Mehr Info kann Luftwaffe geben. ^vb
— skyguide (@skyguide) July 5, 2016
El Al flight LY002 was flying over the Swiss-French border when the fighter jets were scrambled, according to the Jerusalem Post. Once the flight had crossed Swiss airspace, the F-18s returned to their bases and the airplane continued as planned.
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24.com indicated the plane landed in Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport at 12:44pm local time.
El Al released a statement saying no explosive device was found on board, the Jewish Press reported later in the day, citing Israel Radio.
The El Al Boeing 747 was checked for explosives after landing safely at Ben Gurion Airport, according to Haaretz, citing Israel's Foreign Ministry.
"An examination showed the plane was 'clean'," it said.
The ministry added the anonymous tip about a bomb "inside an airplane kitchenette" was received by the US aviation body, which notified Swiss authorities "while the plane was in [Switzerland's] airspace, and the Swiss scrambled fighter jets to escort the plane."
