Wizz Air bomb threat: Fighter jet escorts Luton-Sofia flight to Budapest within minutes

A Wizz Air bomb threat received mid-flight on Monday 2 November sent a London Luton to Sofia service diverting to Budapest under the escort of a Hungarian fighter jet. The flight landed safely, and the airline later said an inspection had been completed and nothing was found.

What happened on the Wizz Air bomb threat flight

Wizz Air flight 4302 left Luton at 08:33 GMT and was due in the Bulgarian capital at 13:25 local time (11:25 GMT), according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. Instead it touched down at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport at around 12:09 local time (11:09 GMT).

The Daily Record, citing Hungarian media, reported that the Airbus A321neo was over Bosnia and Herzegovina when it was told to break from its route and head for Budapest. Hungarian outlet Index reported that it landed on runway two and stopped at bay B5, where emergency services were waiting. Fire crews, police and counter-terrorism personnel were reportedly on standby across the airfield.

Fighter jet scrambled within minutes

Hungarian Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said on social media that the flight asked for permission to land in Budapest after the threat was received. “Within minutes,” he said, a Hungarian Defence Forces Gripen took off and escorted the passenger aircraft. The Daily Record reported he also said NATO’s air defence readiness service had issued an ALPHA alert.

The jet then returned to its base, reported as Kecskemét, and police took charge of the incident, he said. “Readiness is not a routine, but a responsibility,” he wrote, adding that Hungarian soldiers had shown they could guarantee the safety of the country’s airspace.

Checks, closures and what Wizz Air says

Wizz Air said the aircraft taxied to a designated stand, where the relevant authorities carried out security checks on the plane and passengers. The airline said it was cooperating fully with them and that the safety of passengers and crew “remains our highest priority.”

Reports differed on timing. The Evening Standard said inspections were still under way when it published. The BBC later reported that Wizz Air had confirmed the inspection was “completed and nothing was found”, and that the plane would depart again shortly. The Daily Record, citing a report in Index, said runway two was closed during the incident, with other arrivals and departures moved to the airport’s remaining runway.

What is still unknown

No injuries have been reported. None of the sources say how the threat was communicated or who was behind it, and no arrests have been reported. The Evening Standard noted that authorities had not released further details about the nature of the threat. Any investigation is now a matter for Hungarian police.

The speed of the military response suggests how seriously such alerts are treated. Within minutes of the Wizz Air bomb threat, a fighter jet was in the air, a runway was shut and emergency teams were in position. For passengers, the outcome was an unscheduled stop in Hungary and a delayed journey to Sofia, but the aircraft was cleared and expected to continue.