Bomb Threat Diverts Austrian Airlines Flight From Tel Aviv to Sofia

An Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Sunday after a bomb threat, Bulgarian officials and the airline's owner said. Flight OS82, an Airbus A320 carrying 51 passengers and six crew members, landed safely at Sofia Airport. The Lufthansa Group, which owns Austrian Airlines, said the plane landed safely at 8:42 p.m. Central European Summer Time. No injuries were reported, according to the Associated Press.

Escorted in by fighters

Bulgaria's Ministry of Transport and Communications said the crew reported a bomb threat signal during the flight, near the border with Romania, and decided to land in Sofia. "According to the procedures, an Air Force fighter took off and accompanied the plane until it landed at the airport in Sofia," the ministry said. Bulgarian National Television reported that MiG-29 fighters escorted the aircraft, citing the defence ministry.

The ministry said a working headquarters was formed after the landing and that the responsible institutions started an inspection of the aircraft. Passengers were taken off the plane at Sofia. The plane was moved through the airport's security process while officials checked the cabin and the aircraft, reports from Sofia said.

Airline confirms a threat was received

The Lufthansa Group confirmed the diversion in a statement. "We confirm that a threat was received regarding Austrian Airlines flight OS82 from Tel Aviv to Vienna, as a result of which the flight was diverted to land in Sofia, Bulgaria," the group said. It said passengers would be rebooked on an alternative flight as soon as possible.

Israeli outlet Ynet reported that the threat came from an Austrian citizen who was not on board the aircraft, and that the airline had received information from Austria about a suspicious object on the plane. Passengers told Ynet they had been informed that an anonymous report of a bomb on the plane had been received. Ynet reported that initial indications suggested the incident was a false alarm. Israeli media also reported that a group of young people who were due to speak at the United Nations was among the passengers. Officials had not confirmed the origin of the threat on Sunday night, and the inspection in Sofia was still the focus of the response.

Second scare in a week on Israel routes

The diversion came days after two anonymous bomb reports involving Delta Air Lines flights from New York to Israel last week, both of which proved to be false, The Sun reported. Those reports also triggered searches and delays before the aircraft were cleared.

For the 51 passengers on OS82, Sunday night ended in Sofia instead of Vienna, waiting for security checks to finish and for a new flight home. Bulgarian authorities had not announced any finding from the inspection by the time the airline issued its statement, and no one had claimed responsibility for the threat in the reports published on Sunday night.