A commercial flight from Warsaw to Tel Aviv triggered a hijacking alert over the eastern Mediterranean on Tuesday, prompting Israel, Bulgaria and Turkey to scramble fighter jets before the signal was determined to be a false alarm. The Airbus A320, operating as LOT Polish Airlines flight 155 and flown by Bulgarian carrier Electra Airways, transmitted the international squawk code 7500 — indicating unlawful interference — while in Bulgarian airspace. The aircraft, carrying approximately 180 passengers, was denied entry to Israel and diverted to Burgas, Bulgaria, where passengers were screened by police and no security threat was found.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, two air force fighter jets were dispatched after contact with the plane was lost; communication was subsequently restored and the military stated there was “no fear of a security incident.” Bulgarian defence officials confirmed that a MiG-29 was also scrambled to intercept the aircraft after the transponder emitted the hijack code, which they attributed to a “technical failure of the aircraft’s transponder.” Turkish air force sources, cited in Russian media, reported that F-16s escorted the plane after it entered Turkish airspace, with the crew later informing controllers that no emergency existed.

LOT Polish Airlines told passengers the diversion was caused by “the unintentional activation of an onboard security alert” and described such events as “extremely rare.” The airline said the emergency code was cancelled during further communication with air traffic control. Preliminary assessments from European aviation officials point to pilot error in entering the transponder code, though a full investigation is under way by the carrier and competent authorities. The incident occurred during a period of gradual recovery for Israeli aviation, with Ben Gurion Airport recently recording its highest daily passenger traffic since the outbreak of regional hostilities.

The multi-state response illustrates the sensitivity of hijack alerts on routes to Israel and the layered security protocols that activate automatically when a 7500 code is broadcast. Viewed from Brussels, European aviation regulators note that such false alarms, while uncommon, trigger mandatory interception procedures under international civil aviation standards. The passengers were delayed but continued their journey after screening. Bulgarian and Polish authorities are coordinating the investigation, with findings expected to be shared through established aviation safety channels.