Kathrine Frich
A routine journey from the UK to Israel turned tense mid-air after an unusual digital message raised alarm among passengers.
What began as an internal cabin issue quickly escalated into a security response involving military aircraft, before the flight landed safely.
Mid-air alert
The incident unfolded on a Wizz Air service travelling from London Luton to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, according to reporting by the Mirror.
Passengers alerted crew after receiving messages from another device on board. The messages were described as threatening, prompting concerns during the flight’s final approach.
Crew members informed Israeli authorities of a possible security risk, triggering a response on the ground and in the air.
Security response
Israeli fighter jets were scrambled and tracked the aircraft as it entered Israeli airspace. The plane continued to Tel Aviv under monitoring and landed without further disruption.
Authorities later determined that the situation stemmed from a passenger altering their WiFi network name to “terrorist” and using it to message others on board, according to officials cited by local media.
The Airports Authority said:
“Due to suspicion of suspicious behaviour 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.”
Past incidents
Israeli broadcaster N12 News reported that this was not the first time airport security had dealt with digital scares on flights.
Three years ago, passengers on a Turkish Anadolu Jet service reportedly received unsolicited images and videos depicting plane crashes via file-sharing functions on their phones, prompting intervention.
In the latest case, no injuries were reported and there was no suggestion of a physical threat on board.
Airline context
The episode comes amid wider scrutiny of airline customer complaints.
Data from the Authority covering mid-2024 to March 2025 showed Wizz Air recorded the highest number of complaints per million passengers flown.
The airline said:
“At Wizz Air, every minute matters and customers are at the heart of everything we do… We recognise that disruption does occasionally occur, on many occasions due to factors outside of our control.”
Wizz Air added that investments in operations and customer service had already led to improvements in performance and satisfaction.
Sources: Mirror, N12 News, Airports Authority
