Hungarian JAS-39 Gripen jets were scrambled to intercept an Arkia flight from Tel Aviv to Prague after the crew lost contact with air traffic control in Hungarian airspace, according to i24NEWS. The fighters escorted the Airbus A321 until it left Hungarian airspace, and the aircraft landed safely in Prague.
At 16:05 Jerusalem, an Arkia Airlines Airbus A321 flying from Tel Aviv to Prague lost contact with Hungarian air traffic control. Hungarian Air Force JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets were scrambled and escorted the airliner until it left Hungarian airspace. The aircraft landed safely in Prague. According to i24NEWS, NATO activated its highest alert level during the incident.
The Zioneer first reported the communication failure at 16:05 Jerusalem based on journalist Asaf Rozentzweig (N12), noting that two fighters were scrambled and contact was restored shortly afterward. By 16:05 Jerusalem, the aircraft was identified as an Arkia Airbus A321 bound for Prague. At 16:05 Jerusalem, Arkia issued a statement saying the crew followed the approved flight plan, that after contact was lost Hungarian authorities scrambled a military aircraft that approached the plane prompting renewed communication, and that at no point were passengers or crew in danger. The airline reiterated that position in subsequent statements at 16:05 Jerusalem. The i24NEWS report at 16:29 Jerusalem added that NATO had activated its highest alert level.
As The Zioneer reported, Arkia confirmed the flight landed safely and that all procedures were followed. The incident involved a brief communication failure with no further security concerns.
No details have been released on what caused the communication failure. The incident remains under investigation.
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