Israel scrambled fighter jets and diverted a passenger flight bound for Ben Gurion Airport to Cyprus on Tuesday after the pilot of a Bulgarian Electra Airways flight from Warsaw pressed a hijack alert button in the cockpit before quickly clarifying that the alert had been triggered by mistake, according to a first report by N12.
The pilot of the Electra flight, traveling from Warsaw to Tel Aviv, pressed the emergency button in the cockpit signaling a hijacking in progress. He then announced shortly afterward that everything was fine and that he had made a mistake. Despite the clarification, Israeli authorities responded with full precaution, scrambling fighter jets and ordering the diversion of the flight, carrying 180 passengers, away from its planned route to Cyprus.
The flight has been redirected and is now diverting to Burgas Airport in Bulgaria (the airline’s home base) instead of Cyprus or continuing to Ben Gurion.
The IDF stated:
"A short time ago, two Israeli Air Force fighter jets were scrambled toward a civilian aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea after a report of lost contact with the plane. The incident has since concluded, contact with the aircraft has been restored, and there is no indication of a security threat."
JFeed will update this report as more information becomes available.
