Switzerland sent warplanes to escort an Israeli El Al Boeing 747 flying over its territory on Tuesday after a bomb threat was made against the airliner, Israel’s Airports Authority said.
The El Al jet, flying from New York, continued on its scheduled route to Tel Aviv, where it was due to land at 12:45 p.m. (0945 GMT). No emergency has been declared at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion international airport.
The Airports Authority said the Swiss air force had scrambled F-18 aircraft to escort the plane “because of a bomb threat”. The Swiss Air Force said it had deployed an air police “hot mission” to accompany a flight through an emergency situation.
An El Al spokeswoman declined to give details about what she described as an anonymous threat or its credibility, or comment on why the airline, considered one of the most security-conscious in the world, had not opted for an emergency landing en route to Tel Aviv.
Alluding to the question of whether the airline had deemed the threat credible, she said: “You can understand on your own, if the plane is continuing on its way.” (Reporting by Dan Williams and Tova Cohen; Writing by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
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From : REUTERS / Tue Jul 5, 2016 3:11pm IST
Link : http://in.reuters.com/article/israel-elal-idINL8N19R1PJ