Bomb Threat Diverts Tel Aviv–Vienna Flight

An Austrian Airlines Airbus A320 flying from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing at Sofia Airport in Bulgaria after the crew received a reported bomb threat. The Bulgarian Ministry of Transport said the aircraft was near the Romanian border when the threat was received and the crew decided to divert to the Bulgarian capital. A MiG-29 fighter jet escorted the plane to Sofia, according to Bulgaria’s Ministry of Defence. The flight carried 51 passengers and six crew members, all of whom had disembarked by the time of the ministry’s statement. Austrian Airlines said the aircraft was being searched and that passengers would be transferred to alternative flights as soon as possible. Bulgarian authorities formed a crisis response team and opened an investigation. Flight-tracking services showed the plane departing Tel Aviv at 6:46pm local time and landing in Sofia at 9:43pm. Tracking data also indicated that it entered Romanian airspace before turning back toward Bulgaria and transmitted squawk code 7700, a general emergency signal. The article places the incident alongside a separate event the previous month involving a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv. UAE authorities said the co-pilot allegedly attacked the pilot with an axe in an attempt to crash the aircraft. The plane descended about 17,000 feet before other pilots regained control, assisted by passengers and crew who subdued the alleged attacker. It diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The co-pilot, Omani national Hamam Al-Hammami, was charged with terrorism offences in the UAE. After that incident, Israel ordered identity checks for pilots flying into the country.

An Austrian Airlines Airbus A320 flying from Tel Aviv to Vienna diverted to Sofia, Bulgaria, on Sunday night after a reported bomb threat. The Bulgarian transport ministry said the aircraft made an emergency landing and that passengers were evacuated. Bulgaria’s air force scrambled a MiG-29 fighter jet to escort the plane. No injuries were reported, and an investigation began. Austrian Airlines confirmed that a threat had been made but did not provide further details. The airline told the BBC that 51 passengers and six crew members were aboard. Bulgarian and Israeli media reported that the threat involved a bomb. Authorities searched the aircraft after it landed in Sofia, about 30 minutes after the alert was first raised. The plane had been over Romania when it changed course. The security search found no threat, and the flight later continued to Vienna with all passengers on board. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft departed Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday evening and landed at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport about three hours later. The diversion follows other recent aviation security incidents. In September, a pilot allegedly tried to hijack a Flydubai flight heading to Tel Aviv by attacking the captain; the crew and passengers subdued him, and the aircraft landed safely in Saudi Arabia. The previous week, Croatia and Germany scrambled fighter jets after a commercial flight from Corfu to Nuremberg accidentally transmitted a hijacking alert. The article reports these events as context for the latest response, without suggesting they are connected.

An Austrian Airlines Airbus A320 flying from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Sunday after the crew reported receiving a bomb threat while the aircraft was near the Bulgarian-Romanian border. The plane landed safely at 9:25 p.m. with 51 passengers and six crew members on board. Bulgarian authorities said the crew decided to divert to Sofia after the threat was reported. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft transmitted squawk code 7700, which signals a general emergency, around the time of the diversion. A Bulgarian MiG-29 fighter jet was scrambled to escort the aircraft. After landing, passengers were evacuated and security personnel searched the aircraft, passengers and crew. Austrian Airlines said on Monday morning that the search had identified no danger. The airline confirmed that the affected passengers continued their journey to Vienna. The article also notes two recent aviation security incidents as context. Last month, the co-pilot of a Flydubai flight was suspected of attacking the pilot in the cockpit and attempting to hijack the plane and crash it intentionally in Israel. The previous week, an accidental hijacking alert on a commercial flight from Corfu, Greece, to Nuremberg, Germany, prompted Croatia and Germany to scramble fighter jets. The report does not indicate that either incident was connected to the bomb threat on the Austrian Airlines flight.

An Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna diverted to Sofia, Bulgaria, on Sunday night after a bomb threat, according to Hebrew media. Flight OS82, an Airbus A320 carrying 51 passengers and six crew members, landed safely at 8:42 p.m. Lufthansa Group, Austrian Airlines’ parent company, said the aircraft was undergoing security checks. Passengers would be rebooked on alternative flights once inspections were complete. All passengers disembarked safely, and airport operations returned to normal, according to the Israel Airports Authority. Israel’s Channel 12 News reported that preliminary information indicated a Vienna resident had called Austrian police with the threat. Israeli security officials were told investigators were examining whether it was a hoax. The article places the incident alongside two other recent aviation security events. On Oct. 13, an anonymous bomb threat prompted authorities to direct a Delta Air Lines flight from the United States to a remote runway at Ben-Gurion Airport. Security personnel found nothing unusual aboard that plane. Separately, on Sept. 30, Emirati investigators said Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami attacked the captain of a flydubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with an ax and planned to crash the aircraft into Ben-Gurion Airport’s passenger terminal. Another pilot, a cabin crew member, and passengers subdued him. The flight, which had 174 passengers and eight crew members aboard, made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.