In brief
An Austrian Airlines Airbus A320 en route from Tel Aviv to Vienna was diverted to Sofia after a bomb threat was reported, prompting an emergency landing and evacuation of passengers on Sunday night. No injuries were reported, and the Bulgarian air force deployed a MiG‑29 fighter jet to escort the airline after the alert. Bulgarian officials launched a security search of the aircraft shortly after landing, with investigations already underway. The incident follows recent plane hijacking threats in the region, including a Flydubai cockpit assault and diversion of other European flights after false hijacking alerts.
An Austrian Airlines flight from Israel to Austria has been forced to divert to Bulgaria after a reported bomb threat.
The Airbus A320 was travelling from Tel Aviv to Vienna on Sunday night but made an emergency landing in Sofia, where passengers were evacuated, the Bulgarian transport ministry said.
The Bulgarian air force scrambled a MiG-29 fighter jet to escort the airliner, the ministry added, and an investigation has begun. No injuries have been reported.
The diversion follows a pilot’s attempted hijack of a Flydubai flight en route to Tel Aviv last month, when the co‑pilot attacked the captain before being overpowered and the pilot was landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
Both Bulgarian and Israeli media reported that a bomb threat had been made. Austrian Airlines confirmed a threat was made, but did not disclose further details. The aircraft carried 51 passengers and six crew members.
Security checks were carried out after the plane landed, roughly thirty minutes after the alert first surfaced, while the jet was over Romania before diverting to Sofia. Flight tracking data shows the flight departed Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv around 21:30 local time and arrived at Vasil Levski airport in Sofia three hours later.
Last week, Croatia and Germany scrambled fighter jets after a commercial flight from Corfu to Nuremberg falsely signalled a hijack. The BBC has sought further comment from Lufthansa, the owner of Austrian Airlines.
