LOT Polish Airlines Flight Lands in Bulgaria After Transponder Issue Prompts Fighter Escort

LOT Polish Airlines flight 155 departed Warsaw at 11:35 a.m. local time Tuesday bound for Tel Aviv but landed instead at Burgas, Bulgaria, at 5:13 p.m. after circling over the Mediterranean off Cyprus.

Business Insider reported that a technical failure of the aircraft's transponder triggered an unintentional hijacking alert, leading to the diversion of the Airbus A320 operated by Electra Airways. The Israel Defense Forces scrambled two fighter jets after losing contact with the aircraft. Contact was later restored, and the IDF stated there is no fear of a security incident.

Bulgaria's transportation ministry said Bulgarian jets also escorted the plane and attributed the alert to a technical failure of the aircraft's transponder. A LOT Polish Airlines representative told Business Insider that the mistaken emergency transponder code was subsequently canceled during further communication with air traffic control.

The airline stated the diversion resulted from the unintentional activation of an onboard security alert and that the aircraft was redirected to an alternate airport per safety procedures.

Passengers were removed from the plane, screened by Bulgarian police, and brought to a holding area. LOT Polish Airlines apologized to passengers for the exceptional circumstances and said situations of this nature are extremely rare, with passenger and crew safety remaining the highest priority.

Business Insider reported that military jets are deployed to escort airliners under circumstances such as bomb threats, security alerts, and loss of contact with air traffic control.