Passenger Plane Bound for Israel Triggers Hijacking Alert by Mistake, Scrambling Fighter Jets

A passenger plane carrying 180 people to Israel triggered a security scramble after accidentally sending a hijacking alert, leading to the deployment of fighter jets.
According to AFP and the Bulgarian news agency BTA, an emergency hijacking code was transmitted from the transponder of an Airbus A320 aircraft that departed from Warsaw, Poland, and was en route to Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 30 (local time).
The aircraft diverted from its path over the Mediterranean Sea and headed toward Burgas Airport in Bulgaria.
During this process, under the command of the NATO Allied Air Command, one Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29 and two Turkish F-16s were scrambled to escort the passenger plane.
Israel also dispatched two fighter jets.
Bulgarian authorities landed the aircraft in a remote area of Burgas Airport, far from key facilities, in accordance with safety protocols.
The Bulgarian Ministry of Transport and Communications confirmed that there was no security threat on board and no injuries to passengers or crew, after which the plane was allowed to continue its journey.
The flight was operated by Bulgaria's Electra Airways on behalf of LOT Polish Airlines.
Krzysztof Moczulski, a spokesperson for LOT, stated that the pilot corrected the situation by informing air traffic control that the code had been sent by mistake.
He described the incident as "extremely unusual," adding that "human error is the most likely cause."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.