Türkiye's Transport and Infrastructure Ministry said on Tuesday that a LOT Polish Airlines passenger plane flying from Warsaw to Tel Aviv entered Turkish airspace after transmitting the 7500 hijacking code, prompting Turkish authorities to implement international aviation security procedures.
The ministry said the aircraft transmitted the 7500 hijacking code while it was in Bulgarian airspace before entering Turkish airspace.
Although the flight crew reported that there was no adverse situation on board, Turkish authorities took all necessary measures in line with international aviation procedures, the ministry said.
The ministry said two Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jets escorted the aircraft from the moment it entered Turkish airspace until it left Turkish airspace.
Following talks with Bulgarian authorities, the aircraft was allowed to re-enter Turkish airspace after receiving permission to land at Bulgaria’s Burgas Airport, the ministry said.
The F-16s continued escorting the aircraft until it exited Turkish airspace, the ministry said.
The aircraft landed safely at Burgas Airport at 5.12 pm local time, according to the ministry.
The ministry said LOT Polish Airlines stated in its initial explanation that the incident resulted from the pilot transmitting the wrong code and that there had been no actual hijacking.
The ministry said it was closely monitoring the incident in coordination with the relevant authorities.
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