Israeli fighter jets intercept Wizz Air flight amid terror alert

On February 7, Israeli fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a Wizz Air Airbus A321 carrying up to 239 passengers after a terror alert was declared.

Flight W9-5301 had departed London Luton at approximately 7:50 am on February 8 and was approaching the end of its four-and-a-half-hour journey to Tel Aviv when the pilots reported a security situation on board, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Flying at around 32,000 feet over the Mediterranean Sea, the aircraft was instructed to enter a holding pattern off the coast of Israel while fighter jets were dispatched to intercept the plane.

The security scare, however, was later revealed to be a prank. One passenger had created a private Wi-Fi network on their mobile phone and labelled it “Terrorist” in Arabic.

Israeli authorities, unwilling to take any chances, declared a full-scale security alert. After being intercepted by the Israeli Air Force, the flight was cleared to land at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, where security forces were waiting.

A spokesperson for Israel’s Airport Authority said: “Due to suspicion of suspicious behaviour on the plane, security forces acted according to the procedures for such a case.”

“The plane landed, and it was found that there was no actual incident.”

According to preliminary reports from Israel’s N12 news station, the phone transmitting the “terrorist” label belonged to an ultra-Orthodox couple, who said their son had given them the phone before boarding and that they had not realised it contained a private Wi-Fi network.

This is not an isolated incident. Last month, a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Barcelona was intercepted and shadowed by fighter jets from France and Spain after a passenger created a Wi-Fi network called: “I HAVE A BOMB. EVERYONE WILL DIE.” The aircraft was initially placed in a holding pattern before being cleared to land at Barcelona El Prat Airport and sent to a remote part of the airfield for inspection.

Other similar incidents have prompted mid-flight security alerts after passengers renamed their Wi-Fi networks.

Wizz Air, a Hungarian low-cost carrier, has plans to expand its presence in Israel and aims to become the first foreign airline to establish a dedicated base in Tel Aviv.

However, the plans face opposition from local carriers. National flag carrier El Al has expressed security concerns, arguing that foreign airlines may quickly withdraw from Israel during times of conflict, leaving the country isolated.

El Al stated that allowing Wizz Air to expand could pose a threat, citing the rapid withdrawal of foreign carriers during the Gaza conflict, while local airlines remained a reliable means for Israelis to travel.

By Aghakazim Guliyev