Fighters in Serbia took off to intercept plane after bomb report

Two Serbian Air Force fighters took to the air to escort the passenger liner Wizz Air, flying from Brussels to Sofia. The reason was a signal about the possible presence on board an explosive device – the information was transferred to the air traffic control service of Serbia and Montenegro.

The fighters escorted the plane to the border with Bulgaria, after which they returned to the airfield in Bataynica. In parallel, individual air defense units were brought to increased readiness.

The Ministry of Defense of Serbia explained that sounds similar to explosions and alarmed residents of the Shumadiya region at about 10:30 local time (12:30 MSK), arose due to overcoming the sound barrier by aircraft.

In recent days, aviation authorities in several European countries have received numerous anonymous reports of explosion threats on passenger flights; some airliners were forced to urgently land. While none of the threats were confirmed, no explosive devices were found.