Bomb threat forces evacuation of Delta flight at Ben Gurion Airport

Bomb threat targeting Delta flight from New York to Tel Aviv prompts the evacuation of the plane and distancing of the aircraft from terminal.

By World Israel News Staff

Passengers aboard a Delta Air Lines flight from New York were evacuated after landing at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday morning following an anonymous bomb threat, prompting an extensive security operation that ultimately found no evidence of explosives.

The warning was received shortly before the aircraft landed, with some reports indicating that airport security officials were alerted approximately 10 minutes before its arrival.

Following the warning, authorities directed the aircraft to a remote parking area, away from the airport’s passenger terminals, and ordered everyone aboard to disembark.

Security personnel subsequently conducted a thorough inspection of the aircraft to determine whether an explosive device had been planted on board.

Although security officials initially suspected the warning was a hoax, the airport implemented precautionary measures while the aircraft was examined.

The Israel Airports Authority subsequently announced that the threat had been cleared and that airport operations had returned to normal.

“All passengers disembarked safely,” the authority said in a statement, adding that the aircraft had undergone a comprehensive security inspection.

“The incident ended with no unusual findings. Back to normal,” the statement concluded.

There were no reports of injuries, and authorities did not identify the source of the anonymous warning.

The incident comes less than two weeks after an attempted terrorist attack aboard a Flydubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30.

According to Emirati authorities, the aircraft’s co-pilot, an Omani national, attempted to seize control of the plane and crash it into Ben Gurion Airport’s passenger terminal in an attack inspired by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the US.

The co-pilot attacked the captain with an axe while the aircraft was flying over Saudi Arabia, triggering a struggle in the cockpit and a rapid loss of altitude.

The attack was thwarted after the captain and other personnel managed to regain control of the aircraft, which subsequently made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Following the incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a review of aviation security procedures, with particular attention to the screening of foreign airline personnel entering Israel.

The Israeli government has since moved to tighten aviation security measures, including reviewing procedures governing foreign flight crews and aircraft entering Israeli airspace.

Tuesday’s Delta incident also comes shortly after the American carrier resumed direct service between New York and Tel Aviv in September, following a suspension lasting more than six months amid the conflict with Iran.