Hungary launches fighter jets after Israeli passenger plane fails to hail ground control

Arkia says it launched internal probe

Hungarian PM says incident Thursday triggered NATO’s highest level of alert, was resolved after jets saw Arkia plane, whose pilots then radioed local air officials

Hungarian fighter jets were scrambled to intercept an Israeli passenger jet that failed to contact local air traffic control on Thursday, Hungary’s prime minister said.

The Arkia flight, which flew from Tel Aviv to Prague, triggered NATO’s “highest level of alert” after crossing into Hungarian airspace, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar wrote on Facebook.

Two Gripen fighter jets were scrambled to make contact with the Israeli Airbus A321, he said.

“Shortly after takeoff, the Gripens established visual contact with the pilots of the passenger aircraft, who subsequently established radio contact with Hungarian ground control,” Magyar’s post read.

After contact was made, the flight continued to its destination without incident, Magyar stated, adding that, “During the incident, the Hungarian Defense Forces’ airspace control standby service and the NATO-integrated air defense system operated effectively.”

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Arkia said “the incident is under internal investigation,” in a statement to Hebrew media outlets.

“The flight crew acted in accordance with the approved flight plan and the pre-determined flight routes,” the low-cost Israeli airline added, saying: “We emphasize that at no point during the flight was there any danger to the plane, passengers, or crew.”

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