A Wizz Air flight travelling from London to Sofia was diverted to Budapest, Hungary, on Monday after a bomb threat was reported during the journey, prompting a security response involving Hungarian authorities and a military fighter jet.
The flight departed from London Luton Airport in the United Kingdom and was scheduled to arrive in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. However, the aircraft changed course while travelling towards Bulgaria and landed safely at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport.
Wizz Air confirmed the diversion in a statement shared with Euronews, saying the threat had been received while the aircraft was in flight.
“Wizz Air confirms that today’s London Luton-Sofia flight was diverted to Budapest following a bomb threat received during the flight,” the airline said.
According to the carrier, the aircraft landed safely and followed the required security procedures. It was directed to a designated stand at the airport, where the relevant authorities carried out security checks on the aircraft and passengers.
The airline also confirmed that it was cooperating with the authorities handling the incident. It stressed that the safety of passengers and crew remained its highest priority.
The incident also prompted a response from the Hungarian military. A Gripen fighter jet was scrambled to escort the passenger aircraft towards Budapest, according to Hungarian Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, who shared details of the operation on social media.
The defence minister later said the military aircraft had returned to its base in Kecskemét, a city in central Hungary, while police had taken charge of the situation.
Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed that the Wizz Air aircraft was flying over Bosnia and Herzegovina when it changed direction towards Hungary.
The diversion allowed the aircraft to land at Budapest, where security authorities could carry out the necessary checks. Wizz Air did not provide further details about the origin of the threat in its statement.
