A Wizz Air flight from London to Sofia was diverted to Budapest after a bomb threat, and a Hungarian Gripen fighter jet escorted it, Hungary's defence minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said on Facebook today.

The plane left its route and asked to land in the Hungarian capital. NATO's air defence duty service ordered a fighter to take off at once.

The Hungarian air force jet was in the air minutes after the order and escorted the plane to Ferenc Liszt International Airport. Police then took over, the minister said.

The Gripen itself flew back to its base in Kecskemét.