A bomb threat against an Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna on Sunday forced the plane to divert to Bulgaria, according to Bulgarian authorities and the airline.
The transport ministry said that a crisis response team has been set up and the relevant authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. Earlier reporting noted: The Airbus A320, operating as flight OS82, was diverted to Sofia after the threat was reported near the Romanian border, according to Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport and Communications. In a separate incident late last month, the co-pilot aboard a flydubai airline flight headed to Tel Aviv from Dubai attacked the captain and allegedly planned to intentionally crash the plane but was stopped by the captain, passengers and crew.
The Bulgarian air force scrambled a MiG-29 fighter jet to escort the airliner as part of established procedures, the transport ministry said. Data from another flight-tracking platform, ADS-B Exchange, indicates that the aircraft was transmitting squawk code 7700 — a signal for a general emergency — at around the same time. Earlier reporting noted: Tel Aviv-Vienna flight makes emergency landing after bomb threat Six crew members and 51 passengers were on board Earlier reporting noted: An Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing in Sofia, Bulgaria, after the crew received a bomb threat signal during the journey, prompting a security inspection. Flight-tracking data cited by Sky News showed that the aircraft landed at around 9.25pm UTC.
The Austrian Airlines crew decided to make an emergency landing in Sofia after reportedly receiving a bomb threat as they neared Romania, Bulgaria’s transport ministry said in a statement, adding that the passengers were evacuated from the aircraft after landing.
