Israeli fighters scrambled to Wizz Air flight after ‘terrorist’ appears on passenger phone

Israeli airport authorities scrambled fighter jets on Sunday to intercept a Wizz Air passenger jet from London to Tel Aviv amid fears of a security threat.

The incident involved Wizz Air flight W95310, bound for Ben Gurion Airport, as it prepared to land. A couple on board reported that the word “terrorist” had appeared in Arabic on one of their mobile phones, prompting concerns of a genuine danger. The crew relayed the alert to air traffic control in Tel Aviv, which promptly dispatched jets to escort the aircraft, the Hungarian News Agency wrote.

It later emerged that the couple’s child had mischievously renamed the phone’s Wi-Fi network as a joke. The plane landed safely at Ben Gurion, though passengers were subjected to security checks upon arrival.

Had the couple followed protocol by keeping their phones in aeroplane mode until after landing, the episode could have been avoided entirely, the Ynet news portal noted in its report.

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