Bulgaria blames glitch for hijacking false alarm on Tel Aviv-bound flight

A technical error caused a Tel Aviv-bound flight to report a hijacking that led to Israeli and Bulgarian jets scrambling to intercept the aircraft, Bulgaria’s transport ministry says.

An airport official earlier told AFP that the Bulgarian company operating the Airbus A320 blamed pilot error.

Bulgaria’s transport ministry says, however, in a statement: “The reason for the diversion is a technical failure of the aircraft’s transponder, which transmitted a false signal of unlawful interference/hijacking.”

“After confirmation that there was no real threat on board, the aircraft left the country’s airspace via Turkey,” the ministry adds.

The ministry says the jet, headed to Tel Aviv, was redirected to Bulgaria at the operator’s request, where it was “intercepted and escorted” by Bulgarian jets.

The Israeli military, however, says it scrambled two fighters to intercept a civilian aircraft over the Eastern Mediterranean after “a report of lost communication.”

LOT Polish Airlines says the crew of the flight, which was operated by Bulgaria’s Electra Airways on its behalf, “reported an emergency situation.”

“This report was cancelled in the course of subsequent communications with air traffic control,” airline spokesman Krzysztof Moczulski tells AFP.

Bulgaria’s defense ministry says in a statement that the aircraft broadcast transponder code 7500, an emergency message signaling unlawful interference or a hijacking.

The flight was rerouted to Burgas in Bulgaria, where Electra Airways is based, Moczulski says, “due to limitations related to the authorized working time for the crew.”