The pilot of a flight from Warsaw to Tel Aviv mistakenly declared a hijack, prompting the Israeli Air Force to scramble fighter jets, according to journalist Dean Fisher. The pilot immediately reported the error and the flight continued normally, but Israeli authorities did not approve landing in Israel. The aircraft, denied landing in Cyprus due to airport congestion, is now diverting to Sofia, Bulgaria.
Tuesday at approximately 16:30 Jerusalem time, the pilot of a flight from Warsaw to Tel Aviv accidentally triggered a hijack alert, prompting the Israeli Air Force to scramble fighter jets. The pilot immediately reported the error. Israeli authorities, adopting a zero-risk posture, did not permit the aircraft to land in Israel, and the flight was directed to Cyprus. However, upon arrival, landing clearance was denied due to airport congestion. The flight is now diverting to Sofia, Bulgaria, according to journalist Dean Fisher.
This is the latest development in a story The Zioneer has tracked since 16:02 Jerusalem time, when initial reports of a Warsaw-Tel Aviv flight diverted to Cyprus first emerged. The desk’s reporting evolved rapidly: an unverified scramble report (first version) was followed by confirmation that the pilot triggered then canceled a hijack alarm, and by 16:12 Jerusalem, the carrier was identified as Bulgarian Electra Airlines and the passenger count given as 180. The current update — denied landing in Cyprus and diversion to Sofia — supersedes the earlier assumption that the incident would resolve with a Cyprus landing.
The incident fits a pattern of precautionary military responses triggered by pilot communication errors, as The Zioneer reported on June 9 regarding a Bulgarian Electra Airlines flight that also mistakenly triggered a hijack alert and was diverted to Cyprus, and on June 13 when NATO fighters escorted an Arkia airliner after it lost contact over Hungary.
As of 16:31 Jerusalem, the flight is still en route to Sofia. The airline’s identity for this specific flight has not been independently confirmed, and the number of passengers on board remains unverified. There has been no further military activity.
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