Wizz Air Flight Diverted to Budapest After Mid‑Flight Bomb Threat

Overview

• A Wizz Air Airbus A321neo en route from London Luton to Sofia diverted to Budapest on Monday after the crew received a bomb threat while flying over Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the aircraft landed safely at Budapest Liszt Ferenc Airport.
• Hungary scrambled Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighters under a NATO ALPHA alert to intercept and escort the passenger plane into Hungarian airspace, and the fighter jets returned to base once the aircraft was on the ground.
• Emergency services, police and counter‑terrorism teams conducted systematic searches of the cabin, cargo and passenger luggage and officials reported that no hazardous or suspicious items were found.
• After being cleared by Hungarian authorities, the aircraft later resumed its journey to Sofia, and law enforcement agencies have opened investigations to determine the origin of the anonymous threat.
• The incident follows a pattern of anonymous threats that have forced European diversions and underlines how NATO’s Air Defence Readiness Service and national quick‑reaction protocols are used to protect civilian flights.