Technical Error Triggers Hijacking Scare for Tel Aviv-Bound Flight
L'essentiel
- A Tel Aviv-bound flight was mistakenly reported as hijacked due to a technical transponder error, prompting Israeli and Bulgarian jets to scramble.
- The aircraft was escorted to Bulgaria before continuing its journey after confirming no real threat.
Résumé généré par IA
Pourquoi c'est important
A flight bound for Tel Aviv was mistakenly reported as hijacked due to a technical issue with its transponder, leading to military intercepts.
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”.
Questions ouvertes
- What specific technical failure caused the transponder malfunction?
- What was the exact duration of the communication loss?
