Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv forced to make emergency landing in Bulgaria after bomb threat
A flight bound for Vienna was forced to make an emergency landing in Bulgaria after a bomb threat was reported onboard.
An Austrian Airlines flight bound for Vienna was forced to make an emergency landing in Bulgaria after a bomb threat was reported onboard.
Flight OS83 had departed from the Israeli city of Tel Aviv when a “bomb threat” was made against the Airbus A320 on Sunday night.
According to Flightradar24 data, the plane turned back towards Bulgaria shortly after entering Romanian airspace at 9.10pm.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.About half an hour after crews were alerted to the “bomb threat signal”, the plane began descending towards Sofia Airport where it made an emergency landing.
No injuries were reported among the 51 passengers and six crew members, with Austrian Airlines confirming alternative flights would be arranged for travellers.
“We can confirm that a threat was made against flight OS82 from Tel Aviv to Vienna (TLV to VIE), which necessitated a stopover in Sofia (SOF),’ the airline said, as cited by DailyMail.
“Once the search of the aircraft is complete, the passengers will be rebooked onto alternative flights as quickly as possible.
“The safety of our passengers and crew is always our top priority.”
Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport and Communications said a crisis response team had been deployed and an investigation launched.
“According to the procedures, an Air Force fighter took off and accompanied the plane until it landed at the airport in Sofia,” a spokesperson said.
“A working headquarters has been formed and the responsible institutions have started an inspection. Passengers were taken off board the aircraft.”
