An Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna was diverted to Bulgaria on Sunday night following a reported bomb threat.
The Airbus A320 made an emergency landing at Sofia Airport, where passengers were evacuated, according to a statement from Bulgaria’s transport ministry. No injuries were reported, and an investigation was launched.
The airline later confirmed that no threat had been found and that the flight continued to Vienna with all passengers on board.
Fighter jet escorted plane to Sofia
The Bulgarian Air Force scrambled a MiG-29 fighter jet to escort the aircraft after the alert was raised, the transport ministry said.
The plane was flying over Romania when it diverted to Sofia. Bulgarian and Israeli media reported that the alert involved a bomb threat, while Austrian Airlines confirmed that a threat had been made but did not initially provide further details.
An airline spokesperson told the BBC that 51 passengers and six crew members were on board.
Authorities carried out a security search after the plane landed in Sofia, around 30 minutes after the alert was first raised. No threat was found during the checks.
Flight-tracking data showed Austrian Airlines flight OS82 departed Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening and landed at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport around three hours later.
Recent aviation security alerts
The incident follows another aviation security alert last month, when a pilot reportedly attempted to hijack a Flydubai flight travelling to Tel Aviv by attacking the captain. The crew and passengers overpowered him, and the plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
Last week, Croatia and Germany also scrambled fighter jets after a commercial flight travelling from the Greek island of Corfu to Nuremberg, Germany, accidentally transmitted a hijacking alert.
With information from the BBC
Also read: Israeli media: Flydubai flight may have been planned as 9/11-style attack
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