Tel Aviv-Vienna flight makes emergency landing due to bomb threat
What's the story
An Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna was forced to make an emergency landing in Sofia, Bulgaria, due to a bomb threat. The Airbus A320, operating as flight OS82, was diverted near the Romanian border after the crew received a bomb threat signal. Bulgaria's Ministry of Transport and Communications confirmed the incident and said that six crew members and 51 passengers were on board at the time.
Emergency response
Aircraft escorted by Bulgarian fighter jet
After the bomb threat was reported, a Bulgarian Air Force fighter jet was dispatched to escort the aircraft until it landed safely at Sofia airport.
Upon landing, all passengers were evacuated from the plane, and a crisis management headquarters was set up to deal with the situation.
The relevant authorities then began inspecting the aircraft for any potential threats.
Report details
Emergency landing triggered by anonymous report
According to Israel's Ynet, the emergency landing was triggered by an anonymous report claiming a bomb was on board.
A report by The Times of Israel also stated that security concerns were raised after a suspicious object was allegedly seen on the plane's deck.
The aircraft had issued an emergency signal before making the unscheduled landing in Sofia.
Passenger details
Incident comes after attempted crash of another flight
The aircraft was reportedly carrying a group of young people who were to address the United Nations, The Times of Israel reported.
However, no further information about the nature of the threat or the outcome of the inspection was immediately available.
This incident comes less than three weeks after another security scare involving a flydubai flight headed for Tel Aviv, where an alleged attempt by a co-pilot to crash the plane was foiled by passengers and crew members.