A Wizz Air flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a mid-air bomb threat. The plane took off from London Luton Airport (LTN), bound for Sofia (SOF), Bulgaria. It diverted to Budapest’s Liszt Ferenc Airport (BUD).
Hungarian fighter jet assembled to escort the flight
The flight left Luton at around 8.33 a.m. on Nov. 2 and was due to arrive in Sofia at 1.25 p.m. local time. In a statement on Facebook, Hungarian Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said:
“The Hungarian Air Force’s Gripen aircraft took to the air within minutes and ensured the landing of the passenger aircraft in Budapest. The fighter aircraft then returned to the base in Kecskemét, and the police took over the subsequent measures.”
Wizz Air confirmed that after the plane landed, it taxied to a designated stand where authorities carried out a thorough investigation. Authorities found no threat and cleared the aircraft to continue to Sofia. The source or nature of the bomb threat is unclear.
Several flights have recently received bomb threats
The incident follows several flights that received bomb threats and were forced to divert. October 2026 saw four flights forced to land due to bomb threats. Most recently, a Vueling flight from Barcelona to Gran Canaria made an emergency landing on Oct. 26. Two United Airlines flights were grounded, one after a man claimed his wife had a bomb in her luggage and the other after a man sent a text about hijacking the plane.
None of the incidents resulted in the discovery of an explosive device, and all onboard have been unharmed. ProtectUK, a government and policing platform for counter-terrorism protective security, explains that the majority of bomb threats are hoaxes designed to cause alarm and panic. Authorities thoroughly assess and investigate each bomb threat concerning a flight to determine its source.
What do you make of the recent bomb threats? Let us know in the comments.
