OMM Newsroom
A bomb threat forced an “Austrian Airlines” flight from Israel to Vienna to make an emergency landing in Bulgaria late Sunday, escorted by fighter jets, according to Anadolu Agency.
The Airbus A320, operating as flight OS82 from Tel Aviv, landed safely in Sofia with 51 passengers and six crew members on board, the airline confirmed.
“Ynet” reported that “Austrian Airlines” received a warning from an Austrian citizen claiming a bomb was on board after the aircraft had departed Israel. The person who reported the threat was not on the plane, the outlet said.
Passengers told “Ynet” they had been informed of an anonymous bomb threat that forced the flight to change course. A delegation of young people expected to address the United Nations was also on board, the Israeli outlet reported.
Bulgaria’s Transport Ministry said the crew received the bomb warning while flying near the Romanian border and decided to divert to Sofia.
Bulgaria’s Defense Ministry said MiG-29 fighter jets were scrambled to escort the aircraft to the airport. The operation was coordinated with NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre in Spain.
Passengers were evacuated after landing, and Bulgarian authorities began security checks of the aircraft. “Austrian Airlines”, part of the “Lufthansa Group”, said passengers would be rebooked on alternative flights after the inspections.
“Ynet” reported that early indications suggested the threat could be a false alarm, although authorities had not yet announced the results of their investigation.
The incident followed a similar bomb scare involving a “Delta Air Lines” flight from New York that landed at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport last Tuesday. Passengers were evacuated and the aircraft was moved to an isolated area for inspection after an anonymous warning. Security checks later confirmed the alert was false.
