IDF Scrambles Fighter Jets After Losing Contact with Commercial Plane on Its Way to Israel
- On Tuesday, a Tel Aviv-bound LOT Polish Airlines flight diverted to Burgas, Bulgaria, after an onboard security alert unintentionally triggered a hijacking signal, forcing an emergency landing.
- Bulgaria confirmed the diversion resulted from a "technical failure of the aircraft's transponder, which transmitted a false signal of unlawful interference/hijacking," clarifying the incident was a false alarm.
- Over the Mediterranean Sea, flight 155, an Airbus A320 operated by Electra Airways, was "intercepted and escorted" by Bulgarian jets after Israeli fighters also responded to reports of lost communication.
- Passengers were removed from the plane, screened by Bulgarian Military personnel, and brought to a holding area, where LOT Polish Airlines apologized for the "exceptional circumstances."
- The Israel Defense Forces confirmed, "There is no fear of a security incident," while the aircraft eventually exited the country's airspace via Turkey after the false alarm was resolved.
44 Articles
44 Articles
On Tuesday, there was an alarm about a plane hijacking off the coast of Cyprus. But it turned out to be a false alarm, Israeli media reports. – I have never heard of someone accidentally setting a transponder to the wrong code that caused a detour, says Captain Petter Hörnfeldt.
An airplane on the way from Warsaw to Tel Aviv falsely reports a kidnapping emergency. Israel and Bulgaria nevertheless send fighter jets, one guiding the plane through the airspace.
An Airbus A320 from a Bulgarian airline was intercepted in full flight after a false hijacking signal, which was triggered by a technical failure. The airline refers to a "error" of the pilot. - An Airbus intercepted in full flight after a false hijacking alert (International).
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