Bomb Threat Mid-Air: Wizz Air Flight Escorted by Fighter Jet to Emergency Landing in Budapest, Search Finds Nothing
A Wizz Air flight made an emergency landing in Budapest, escorted by a Hungarian fighter jet, after a bomb threat received mid-air. The aircraft was travelling from London Luton Airport to Sofia, the Bulgarian capital.
According to flight tracking website FlightAware, Wizz Air flight 4302 departed Luton at 08:33 GMT. It was due to arrive in Sofia at 13:25 local time (11:25 GMT). But it landed in Budapest at 12:09 local time (11:09 GMT).
Hungarian Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendis confirmed that his country had provided the fighter jet to escort the flight. In a post on social media, he said that after receiving the bomb threat, the Wizz Air flight had requested permission to land at Budapest airport.
He added that within minutes, a Hungarian Defence Forces Gripen fighter jet took to the skies and provided an escort for the passenger aircraft. After this, the jet returned to its base and police took charge of the incident.
After the emergency landing at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport, the plane taxied to a designated stand. A spokesperson for Wizz Air said authorities there carried out the necessary security checks on the aircraft and passengers.
The airline later confirmed that the inspection had been completed and nothing was found, adding that the plane would depart again shortly.
Wizz Air said it was cooperating fully with the authorities, and that the safety of passengers and crew remains its highest priority.
