Passengers Describe Their Experience Aboard London–Sofia Flight Escorted to Budapest for Emergency Landing

The threatening email was circulated shortly before noon to institutions, media outlets and private individuals. It was signed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which said it would blow up a low-cost airline flight travelling from London to Sofia. Lyubka and Elina were on board.

Lyubka Kovacheva: “At some point, there was a commotion among the staff and we realised something was happening. Then they said there was some kind of technical fault with the aircraft. After that, they told us: ‘Collect your belongings and get out.’ They wouldn't let us take our luggage, only our hand luggage. Later, at Budapest Airport, we found out it was a bomb attack. These are just hoaxes, like the ones in Bulgaria.”

Elina Dimitrova: “We were waiting at the Hungarian airport. The Hungarian authorities reacted very quickly and appropriately, for which we are grateful. We were taken off the plane very quickly. They didn't tell us the reason, saying it was an operational technical issue. When we got off, people were waiting for us and everyone who had been taken off the aircraft underwent a security check. They then provided us with logistical support, for which we are grateful, but we spent five hours on Hungarian soil.”

The crew decided to turn back and make an emergency landing at Budapest Airport shortly before entering Serbian airspace. NATO's first-level “Alpha” alert was activated, and the aircraft was escorted by a Hungarian Air Force Gripen fighter jet. The airline told Bulgarian National Television (BNT):

No Bomb Found on London–Sofia Flight Escorted to Budapest

András Rádó, Head of Corporate Communications at Wizz Air: “We received a warning that there was a bomb on our flight from Luton to Sofia. We followed protocol and diverted the aircraft to Budapest to ensure it could land quickly and safely, allowing the local authorities to carry out the necessary checks. No bomb was found on board. Passengers were also searched and waited in the terminal while the aircraft was inspected. The airline provided them with food and water, including baby food.”
Todor Ivandzhikov, Chairman of the Association of Bulgarian Aviation Industry, said all procedures had been followed. He linked the increasing number of false bomb threats to hybrid warfare.

Todor Ivandzhikov – Association of Bulgarian Aviation Industry: “The aircraft has to be escorted because it is not known whether the warning is false or genuine, or whether there might be a terrorist on board who could take control of the aircraft and direct it towards a particular target. In the event of a bomb threat, code 7700 is activated. The correct course of action is to dispatch an aircraft immediately so that the two planes can see each other and communicate with the crew. Hungary's defence minister immediately decided to activate the ‘Alpha’ procedure. As far as I understand, a Gripen was scrambled to escort the aircraft to a landing in Hungary. Hybrid warfare and all these kinds of threats are increasingly spilling over into aviation. This comes at an enormous cost.”

Hungarian Fighter Jet Escorts London–Sofia Flight to Budapest Following Bomb Threat

Earlier this year, the Council of the EU designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. The address from which the threatening email was sent belongs to a private Christian boarding school in Kabuga, Rwanda. After spending several hours at Ferenc Liszt International Airport, the aircraft landed safely at Vasil Levski Airport shortly after 7 pm.