Arkia Says Hungarian Fighter Jet Scramble Did Not Endanger Passengers

Arkia said it is examining the incident from last Thursday in which Hungarian fighter jets were scrambled toward one of its passenger planes. The airline said the case is being reviewed internally and will also be examined with Hungarian authorities.

According to Arkia, the flight crew followed the approved flight plan and the prearranged route. At one point, contact between the aircraft and Hungarian air traffic control was lost.

Arkia said that, as it understands it, Hungarian authorities then decided to deploy a military aircraft that approached the passenger jet. After that, communication with the crew was restored. The plane continued its journey as scheduled and landed safely at its destination.

The airline stressed that at no point during the flight was there any danger to the aircraft, passengers, or crew.