Egypt-bound flight lands in Budapest following bomb scare

A passenger plane from Berlin headed to the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada was forced to land in Budapest due to a bomb scare, Hungarian police told AFP on Monday.

The pilots of the aircraft deviated from the planned route and landed the Airbus 321 carrying 130 paseengers and seven staff in a Budapest airport, AFP quoted the airportal.hu website as saying.

Hungarian fighter planes reportedly escorted the aircraft. Witnesses said fire crews and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac when the plane landed.

"The plane is still undergoing checks at the airport," police spokesperson Viktoria Csiszer-Kovacs told AFP.

Carriers to and from Egypt have been on high alert after a Russian Airbus 321 passenger jet was brought down about 30 minutes after takeoff from the Egyptian resort Sharm el-Sheikh.