Fighter jets escort passenger plane after bomb threat forces it to divert to Budapest

Hungarian Gripen fighter jets were scrambled on Monday to escort a Wizz Air passenger plane to Budapest after a bomb threat forces the plane to divert, Hungarian Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said, reported Xinhua.

The aircraft, which was scheduled to fly from London to Sofia, was forced to divert and requested a permission to land at Budapest's Liszt Ferenc International Airport, the minister said in a Facebook post.

The incident triggered a NATO air policing ALPHA alert, prompting the Hungarian Armed Forces to deploy Gripen fighter jets within minutes to ensure the passenger plane's safe landing.

The fighter jets returned to their base in Kecskemet, central Hungary, and the police took over the response on the ground.