Swiss fighter jets scrambled after bomb threat on board Israeli plane flying from New York to Tel Aviv

The plane later landed safely at Ben Gurion International Airport

El Al planes on the tarmac at Ben Gurion International airport on October 28, 2009 (AFP/Getty Images)

Two Swiss Air Force jets have been scrambled to escort an Israeli passenger plane flying from New York to Tel Aviv following a bomb scare.

El Al flight LY2 landed in the coastal Israeli city on Tuesday morning after receiving the anonymous threat.

The Swiss Air Force announced an operation at 8.35am local time (7.35am BST), saying the launch of the jets caused two sonic booms heard over large areas of the country.

The El Al plane continued to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv after the alert. (FlightRadar24)

“A foreign airliner was accompanied by two F-18s from the Swiss border on its regular flight path through Swiss airspace,” a spokesperson said.

“Based on the available information, the deployment by the air police service was necessary.”

A spokesperson for El Al told the Independent: “We received anonymous information claiming a bomb was on the aircraft but it continued to its destination and landed safely.

“It is believed to be a false alarm.”

The Boeing 747 has since landed at Ben Gurion International Airport.

It had taken off from John F. Kennedy International Airport at 7pm local time on Monday.

Unsubstantiated bomb threats have caused numerous alerts and diversions on passenger planes in recent months, including a British Airways plane in New Jersey last month and a flight to Hamburg.