Fighter Jets Intercept British Airways Flight After Communications Breakdown

Hungarian military jets were scrambled when a British Airways plane entered the country’s airspace without making proper radio communication with authorities on the ground.

There were a few tense moments for passengers and crew aboard a British Airways flight between Dubai International Airport (DXB) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR) when two fighter jets scrambled to intercept the passenger plane after it crossed into Hungarian airspace without properly communicating with authorities on the ground. According to a report in the Daily Mail, the flight deck of the regularly scheduled Saturday afternoon flight failed to alert air traffic controllers to their intentions because of a brief loss of radio contact with the ground.

Despite the quick show of military force in response to the perceived threat caused by the communications breakdown, British Airways officials say the issue was quickly resolved. “Communication was quickly restored with air traffic control and the flight landed normally at Heathrow,” an airline spokesperson told reporters.

Authorities insist that the passenger plane was never in any real danger. Passengers on the flight, however, described the moments when the Hungarian Air Force Gripens closely approached the Boeing 777 as “terrifying.”

“I thought it was ready to shoot us down,” Sabrina Fawaz, a passenger on the flight told The Sun. “Usually you hear that when two fighter jets are scrambled, one is flying to the front of the plane to check that it’s OK and the second one is flying behind ready to shoot it down.” Fawaz posted cellphone video online showing the two military aircraft ominously circling around the passenger plane.

Pilots of commercial flights are required to alert authorities when crossing into a country’s airspace. British Airways officials admit that air traffic controllers on the ground in Hungary were not properly notified in this instance. The airline did confirm that flying over Hungary is part of the normal flight path for BA flights en route from DXB to LHR.

[Screengrab via YouTube/Zenobia]