The Israeli commandos use brushes to paint the brown Mercedes black. In subsequent scenes their black Mercedes has a shiny, factory finish.
In the film, the Israeli C-130 planes land at Entebbe with full runway lights. In real life, the first plane landed in total darkness, and the commandos used flashlights to guide the other planes.
The opening caption states "In 1947 the State of Israel was recognized by the United Nations". The State of Israel was proclaimed on May 14, 1948, and admitted to the United Nations on May 11, 1949.
As the Israeli soldiers train for the rescue mission, a Sea King helicopter appears in the background several times. Israel has never had any Sea Kings.
At the Athens airport, the policemen managing the passengers are wearing uniforms, particularly hats, that real-life Greek police have never worn.
The Air France Captain has three bands on his epaulets. Flight Captains have four bands. In the closing scenes, the real captain has four bands.
The close-up of the female terrorist's body at the end shows no wounds, bullet holes, or bloodstains.
The Air France plane in the movie is an Airbus A310, a shorter version of the A300b4 that was hijacked. The A310 entered service in 1978, and was equipped with winglets in 1985.
The "Anafaza," a dance that appears throughout the film, debuted in 1995.
Push-button phones are visible at the airport. At the time, the airport only had rotary phones.
When Brigitte Kuhlmann is in the departure lounge at Athens, she checks her Air France ticket. The ticket wallet design is incorrect for the time period.
When the formation of transport planes is shown flying across the Red Sea, the sound of piston engines is heard. The Lockheed C-130 Hercules has turboprop engines that sound very different, a high-pitched whine from the turbines and a droning sound from the four large propellers.
A cardinal is chirping when the passengers leave the plane in Entebbe. Cardinals are not found in Uganda.