An Austrian Airlines flight travelling from Tel Aviv to Vienna was diverted to Bulgaria on Sunday night following a reported bomb threat. The aircraft made an emergency landing in Sofia, where passengers were evacuated before security teams searched the plane.
The Airbus A320 was flying from Israel to the Austrian capital when the threat was reported. According to Bulgaria’s transport ministry, the Bulgarian air force scrambled a MiG-29 fighter jet to escort the aircraft to Sofia.
The plane landed at Vasil Levski Airport, around 30 minutes after the alert was first raised. It was flying over Romania when the crew diverted to the Bulgarian capital.
Austrian Airlines confirmed that a threat had been made but did not provide further details. A spokesperson told the BBC that 51 passengers and six crew members were on board.
Bulgarian authorities carried out a security search of the aircraft after it landed. No explosive device or other threat was found, and no injuries were reported.
Following the security checks, the aircraft continued its journey to Vienna with all passengers on board, Austrian Airlines confirmed. Flight tracking data showed that Austrian Airlines flight 82 had departed Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening before landing in Sofia approximately three hours later.
The incident comes amid other recent security alerts involving commercial aircraft in Europe and the Middle East.
Last month, a passenger on a Flydubai flight travelling towards Tel Aviv reportedly attempted to hijack the aircraft by attacking the captain. The crew and passengers managed to overpower the man, and the plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
Last week, Croatia and Germany also scrambled fighter jets after a commercial flight travelling from the Greek island of Corfu to Nuremberg, Germany, mistakenly transmitted a hijacking alert. Authorities have launched an investigation into the Austrian Airlines incident.
Ajeet Yadav is an aviation enthusiast covering airline news, airports, aircraft, and industry developments through well-researched and reliable reporting.
