Bomb threat forces Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to divert to Bulgaria

Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna was forced to deviate to Bulgaria on Sunday due to a bomb threat, according to Bulgarian authorities and the airline. The aircraft, an Airbus A320, reportedly received the threat as it approached Romania, prompting the crew to make an emergency landing in Sofia. Bulgarian air force scrambled a MiG-29 fighter jet to escort the airliner, following standard protocols.

Passengers, numbering 51, and six crew members were evacuated from the aircraft after safe landing in Sofia, approximately half an hour after the threat was received. A comprehensive search of the Airbus A320 was then conducted. The airline stated that once the search was completed, passengers would be rebooked onto alternative flights as soon as possible.

Flightradar24 data indicated the aircraft, registered OE-LZE, entered Romanian airspace around 9:10pm before turning south and heading back towards Bulgaria, where it landed in Sofia. ADS-B Exchange data showed the aircraft transmitting a general emergency signal, squawk code 7700, at around the same time. A crisis response team has been established and authorities are investigating the incident.

A similar event occurred last month when a Flydubai flight en route to Tel Aviv from Dubai saw its co-pilot attack the captain and allegedly plan to crash the plane, but was thwarted by the captain and passengers. Last week, Croatia and Germany scrambled fighter jets after a commercial flight from the Greek island of Corfu to Nuremberg mistakenly sent out a hijacking alert.