Bomb threat forces Tel Aviv–Vienna Austrian Airlines flight to divert to Sofia
Austrian Airlines flight OS82 from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing in Sofia after a bomb threat, with a Bulgarian MiG-29 escorting the Airbus A320 down.
An Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing in Sofia on Sunday after a bomb threat was reported as the aircraft neared Romania, Bulgaria’s Transport Ministry said.
The Bulgarian Air Force scrambled a MiG-29 to escort flight OS82 (AUA82) down as part of established procedures, the ministry said. The Airbus A320 landed about half an hour after the threat; flight-tracking data cited by Sky News showed touchdown at around 9:25pm UTC, with Flightradar24 showing OE-LZE entering Romanian airspace at about 9:10pm before turning south toward Bulgaria, and ADS-B Exchange recording a squawk 7700 — the general-emergency signal — at the same time.
There were 51 passengers and six crew aboard, the airline told AFP, and all were evacuated after landing. Bulgaria set up a crisis response team, opened an investigation and began a security search of the aircraft. “Once the search of the aircraft is complete, the passengers will be rebooked onto alternative flights as quickly as possible,” the airline said.
The threat’s origin is unconfirmed: the Times of India reports that Israel’s Ynet said passengers reported the emergency was triggered by an anonymous report claiming a bomb was on board, while the Times of Israel reported that Haaretz said the threat came from an Austrian citizen who was not on board. The Times of India also reported, citing the Times of Israel, that the plane was carrying a delegation of young people due to speak at the United Nations.
The scare follows other recent aviation-security incidents, including the flydubai co-pilot incident late last month and a false hijack-alert scramble last week, NDTV reported.
Sources: NDTV · Times of India · Times of Israel · The Hindu
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