British Airways flight to Heathrow intercepted by fighter jets over Hungary
The Boeing 777 was reportedly escorted by two Hungarian Air Force Gripens scrambled to identify the aircraft after it passed over the country's border unannounced
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A British Airways flight was intercepted by fighter jets over Hungary after it lost contact with air traffic controllers.
The Boeing 777 was reportedly escorted by two Hungarian Air Force Gripens scrambled to identify the aircraft after it passed over the country's border unannounced on Saturday afternoon.
The flight was en route from Dubai to Heathrow when it was detected by the Hungarian defence ministry.
According to air safety protocols pilots must make contact with air traffic controllers on the ground when passing from one country's airspace to another.
When the BA jet failed to do so Hungarian authorities reportedly issued their highest alert and the pair of fighter jets were sent to identify the aircraft and ensure it was making safe progress.
The Gripens reportedly took off at 12.55pm before the BA flight made contact with ground control. The jets returned to their base at 13.21pm.
A BA spokesman said: "Communication was quickly restored with air traffic control and the flight landed normally at Heathrow."
There have been several similar incidents in the recent past where civilian commercial flights have inadvertently triggered high-level security alerts.
In October passengers on board a Monarch airlines flight from Madeira to Birmingham spotted fighter jets in close proximity to the plane after it lost communication over French airspace.
Press Association
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments