A technical error caused a Tel Aviv-bound flight to report a hijacking Tuesday that led to Israeli and Bulgarian jets scrambling to intercept the aircraft, Bulgaria’s transport ministry said.
An airport official earlier said that the Bulgarian company operating the Airbus A320 blamed pilot error.
Bulgaria’s transport ministry said, 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 added.
The ministry said 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, said it had scrambled two fighters to intercept a civilian aircraft over the eastern Mediterranean after “a report of lost communication”.
