destination on July 5 after a bomb threat led France and Switzerland to
send warplanes to escort the Israeli airliner over their territory.
No
emergency was declared at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion airport, where the El
Al jet touched down, a Reuters TV cameraman at the scene said.
The Israel
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.
Sky
Guide, a Swiss air navigation service provider, said the bomb threat
was received when the El Al aircraft was over France. It said the flight
was accompanied by French fighter jets before it crossed into Swiss air space.
An
El Al spokeswoman declined to give details about what she described as
an anonymous threat, 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 (continued) on
its way.”