VIENNA: An Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna was diverted to Sofia late Sunday following a bomb threat, but resumed its journey after security searches found nothing dangerous, the airline and Bulgaria’s BTA news agency reported.
According to BTA, the flight crew reported receiving the threat as the aircraft approached the Romanian border. The Bulgarian Air Force scrambled MiG-29 fighter jets in response.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the threat had been made by an Austrian national who was not on board, although it did not identify the source of the information.
“We confirm that there was a threat against flight OS82 on October 18, 2026, from Tel Aviv to Vienna (TLV to VIE), which made it necessary for the flight to make an intermediate landing in Sofia (SOF),” Austrian Airlines said in a statement on Monday.
The airline said searches of the aircraft, passengers and crew found no danger. All passengers subsequently reboarded, and the flight continued from Sofia to Vienna.
Austrian Airlines said the aircraft was carrying 51 passengers and six crew members. Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 identified it as an Airbus A320-200 series aircraft, which the airline’s website lists as having a capacity of up to 180 seats.
Vienna Airport, Austria’s Interior Ministry and Lufthansa Group, which owns Austrian Airlines, did not respond to requests for comment.
Austria’s and Bulgaria’s interior ministers were scheduled to hold a previously arranged joint press conference in Vienna at 11am local time on Monday (0900 GMT).
The incident occurred less than three weeks after an alleged attack involving a co-pilot aboard a flydubai aircraft travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
The United Arab Emirates’ attorney general said last week that an Omani co-pilot on the September 30 flight had intended to seize control of the aircraft and crash it into a terminal at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in a suicide attack. According to the attorney general, the captain thwarted the alleged attempt.
