On Monday, 2 November 2026, a Wizz Air flight travelling from London to Sofia was diverted following a bomb threat. A Hungarian Gripen fighter jet safely accompanied the aircraft to Budapest for an emergency landing.
Wizz Air flight 4302 left London Luton Airport at 8:33 am local time on Monday 2 November and was due to arrive at Sofia in Bulgaria approximately three hours later, at 1:25 pm local time. However, a mid-air bomb threat forced the pilot to divert the plane while flying over Bosnia and Herzegovina for an emergency landing at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International, where it touched down at 12:09 pm local time.
“Wizz Air confirms that today’s London Luton-Sofia flight was diverted to Budapest following a bomb threat received during the flight. The aircraft diverted and landed safely at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport in accordance with the relevant security protocols and procedures, before taxiing to a designated stand, where the relevant authorities carried out the necessary security checks on the aircraft and passengers,” a Wizz Air spokesperson stated.
After receiving the bomb threat, as the pilot requested permission to land at Budapest airport, the local military forces immediately took action. According to the Hungarian Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, a Hungarian Gripen fighter jet left within minutes in order to safely accompany the plane to its emergency landing spot.
“Hungary’s air defence readiness service has once again proved itself in a real-life situation. A Wizz Air flight travelling from London to Sofia received a bomb threat, forcing it to abandon its original route and request permission to land at Budapest’s International Airport. NATO’s air defence readiness service issued an ALPHA alert. A Hungarian Defence Forces Gripen fighter jet was airborne within minutes and ensured the passenger aircraft landed safely in Budapest. The fighter jet then returned to its base in Kecskemet, while the police took over further measures. Readiness is not a routine, but a responsibility,” Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said about the incident in a Facebook post.
Once the plane had arrived at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International, the plane was directed to a designated parking position. Firefighters, police officers, and counter-terrorism personnel took over and started to inspect both the passengers and the aircraft in order to determine whether or not the bomb threat was real.
During the inspection, Budapest’s second runway was temporarily closed off, allowing all security measures to be carried out safely. Arriving and departing flights were therefore all diverted to the first runway.
Once the security check was completed, the aircraft was reportedly prepared to be towed to a departure stand. After an extra security screening, passengers were asked to wait in the terminal while the airline searched for a replacement crew so the flight could continue to Sofia, Wizz Air said, according to the Budapest Business Journal.
The airline is cooperating fully with the authorities in order to guarantee the safety of passengers and crew. At the moment of writing, however, authorities have not yet shared more details about the intervention by the police. It is thus unclear whether any suspicious items were found during the inspection.
