Bomb Threat Forces Israel-to-Austria Flight to Divert to Bulgaria
The Airbus A320 was flying to the Austrian capital on Sunday night when it diverted to Sofia, where passengers were evacuated following its arrival, according to Bulgaria’s Transport Ministry.
The Bulgarian air force deployed a MiG-29 fighter jet to escort the aircraft, the ministry said. No injuries were reported, and authorities launched an investigation into the incident.
Austrian Airlines confirmed that a threat had been reported but did not initially disclose further details. A spokesperson said 51 passengers and six crew members were aboard the aircraft.
Bulgarian and Israeli media reported that the alert involved a bomb threat. The aircraft was flying over Romania when its route was changed, with the diversion taking place around 30 minutes after the warning was raised.
Security personnel searched the plane after it landed at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport. The inspection found no threat, and Austrian Airlines confirmed that the flight subsequently continued to Vienna with all passengers on board.
Flight-tracking information showed that Austrian Airlines flight 82 departed Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday evening and reached Sofia approximately three hours later.
The incident follows a separate aviation security scare last month, when a passenger allegedly attempted to seize control of a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv by attacking the captain. Crew members and passengers overpowered the individual, and the aircraft landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
Last week, Croatia and Germany also deployed fighter jets after a commercial flight travelling from the Greek island of Corfu to Nuremberg mistakenly transmitted a hijacking alert.
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