Bulgarian MiG-29 Escorted Warsaw-Tel Aviv Flight After Hijacking Alert - Novinite. com - EUROPE SAYS
A Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jet was scrambled on June 30 after a passenger aircraft flying from Warsaw to Tel Aviv transmitted transponder code 7500, the internationally recognized signal indicating. . .
A Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jet was scrambled on June 30 after a passenger aircraft flying from Warsaw to Tel Aviv transmitted transponder code 7500, the internationally recognized signal indicating unlawful interference on board, most commonly associated with a suspected hijacking. The alert triggered standard NATO and national Air Policing procedures, the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense said. The aircraft, an Airbus A320 operated by Bulgarian carrier Electra Airways on behalf of Poland’s LOT airline, entered Bulgarian airspace at 1:57 p. m. after crossing the Danube. Three minutes earlier, at 1:54 p. m. , a MiG-29 on quick reaction alert had taken off from the Third Air Base at Graf Ignatievo following notification from NATO’s Combined Air Operations Center in Torrejon, Spain. The Bulgarian fighter carried out the standard Air Policing mission, including visual identification, establishing contact with the crew, reconnaissance, and escorting the aircraft across Bulgarian airspace. After the plane crossed into Turkish airspace at 2:14 p. m. , the escort was handed over to two Turkish F-16 fighter jets in coordination with allied forces. The situation, however, continued to develop after the aircraft left Bulgaria. According to Bulgarian media reports, the crew sought permission to land but was reportedly denied by three countries. The aircraft later requested clearance to return to Bulgaria, prompting the Bulgarian Air Force to scramble its MiG-29 fighters for a second time. The jets intercepted and escorted the Airbus to Burgas Airport, where it made an unscheduled landing at approximately 5:15 p. m. Airport officials confirmed the unexpected landing but initially released few details. During the nearly seven-hour stop in Burgas, authorities conducted extensive inspections to determine whether there was an actual security threat aboard the aircraft. The investigation concluded that the emergency had been triggered by a malfunction of the aircraft’s transponder rather than an attempted hijacking. The faulty equipment had transmitted code 7500 in error, leading military and civilian authorities in several countries to activate emergency response protocols. According to unofficial information cited by Bulgarian media, the erroneous code may have been transmitted twice, once before the aircraft entered Bulgarian airspace and again after it departed Turkish airspace. Additional reports indicated that the aircraft had also requested an emergency landing at Paphos Airport in Cyprus but was unable to obtain permission because of heavy air traffic before ultimately returning to Bulgaria. After security services confirmed there was no danger to the passengers or crew, the aircraft was cleared to resume its journey. It departed Burgas shortly after 11:00 p. m. and arrived in Tel Aviv shortly after 1:00 a. m. local time. The Bulgarian Ministry of Defense described the operation as a demonstration of the “high readiness, professionalism and rapid response” of the Bulgarian Air Force, highlighting the close coordination between Bulgaria, NATO’s Combined Air Operations Center, and the Turkish Air Force within the Alliance’s integrated air and missile defense system. The incident also drew attention to the significance of emergency transponder codes used by commercial aviation. Code 7500 signals unlawful interference or a suspected hijacking, while code 7600 indicates a communications failure and code 7700 is used to declare a general emergency. Any transmission of code 7500 automatically prompts an immediate response from both civil aviation authorities and military air defense units, including the possible deployment of fighter aircraft to identify and escort the affected flight.