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A couple said their son arranged for them to have the phone before they boarded the flight, according to local media.
08:24, Mon, Feb 9, 2026 Updated: 08:24, Mon, Feb 9, 2026
The fighter jets were scrambled to escort a Wizz Air plane flying to Ben Gurion Airport (Image: Getty)
Fighter jets were scrambled to intercept an airliner after the name of a passenger’s mobile phone hotspot appeared as “terrorist”, according to reports. The incident happened on Sunday on a Wizz Air plane travelling to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, from London Luton.
Initial reports suggest the Wi-Fi hotspot name in question was on a phone that belonged to a couple. The couple said their son arranged for them to have the phone before they boarded the flight, according to local media. Israeli security officials scrambled the fighter jets after being notified by crew on board the Wizz Air plane.
The Wizz Air plane took off from London Luton on Sunday (Image: Getty)
Passengers also received threatening messages, according to N12 News.
Fighter jets were launched to escort the plane and flight tracking data shows the Wizz Air plane circling over the Mediterranean Sea before touching down at Ben Gurion Airport.
Officials said the plane landed safely and there was no security incident.
The plane landed safely at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv (Image: Getty)
A spokesperson for the Israeli Airports Authority said: "Due to suspicion of suspicious behavior on the plane, security forces acted according to the procedures for such a case. The incident ended.
“The plane landed and it was found that there was no actual incident."
The passengers and their belongings were also checked by bomb-sniffing dogs after arriving at the airport, according to local media.
Air traffic to and from Ben Gurion resumed following a brief pause.
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N12 News reports this isn't the first time those in charge at Ben Gurion Airport have been forced to act — almost four years ago, during a flight of the Turkish airline Anadolu Jet, passengers were airdropped pictures and videos of planes crashing on their mobile phones.
The Express has contacted Wizz Air for a comment.
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