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Warsaw’s international airport has closed after a passenger flight from London was forced to land there due to a bomb threat.
The LOT Polish Airlines flight departed London Heathrow Airport this morning and headed for Warsaw-Chopin Airport, but was diverted to Warsaw-Modlin following the alert, which was announced at 9.54am local time.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 landed safely at 10.01am, and security forces are verifying the reported threat, the airport said in a statement, adding: ‘The safety of passengers, crew and airport employees is currently the highest priority.’
Some 118 passengers are understood to have been on the flight.
The Daily Mail has reached out to LOT Polish Airlines for comment.
It comes just a day after a fighter jet escorted a Wizz Air passenger plane flying from London to Bulgaria following a bomb threat on board the flight.
A Hungarian Gripen fighter plane was scrambled to escort the aircraft, which was forced to make an emergency landing at Budapest airport, Hungary‘s defence minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said today.
In a statement, the minister said the fighter jet was deployed ‘within minutes’ to escort the aircraft and ensure it landed safely.
‘Our soldiers have once again proven that they can be deployed immediately if necessary and can guarantee the security of Hungary’s airspace,’ he said.
A LOT Polish Airlines flight from Heathrow was forced to land following a bomb threat
The Sofia-bound Airbus A321 departed London Luton Airport shortly after 8.30am, but was forced to make a U-turn over Bosnia and Herzegovina following the alert.
Authorities carried out an inspection of the aircraft at Budapest’s Ferenc Liszt Airport, but Wizz Air later confirmed nothing suspicious was found.
Mr Ruszin-Szendi said police have been carrying out additional measures following the landing.
Wizz Air said: ‘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.
‘Wizz Air is co-operating fully with the authorities. The safety of passengers and crew remains our highest priority.’
The airline said authorities would conduct ‘necessary security checks on the aircraft and passengers’.
According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the flight was due to land at the international airport in Sofia at around 1.25pm local time.
However, a map on the tracking website shows the A321 airbus diverting towards Hungary over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This is a breaking news story, more to follow.
