Fighter jets escort Israel flight to Bulgaria after bomb threat
A flight from Israel to Vienna made an emergency diversion to Bulgaria on Sunday after a reported bomb threat, prompting Bulgarian fighter jets to escort the aircraft to Sofia.
The Airbus A320, operating as Austrian Airlines flight OS82, was carrying 51 passengers and six crew members. All 57 people on board landed safely, and passengers were evacuated as authorities began security inspections.
Bomb warning reported after take-off
According to Israeli news outlet Ynet, Austrian Airlines received a warning from an Austrian citizen claiming that a bomb was aboard the aircraft. The individual who reported the alleged threat was not on the flight.
Passengers told Ynet they had been informed of an anonymous bomb warning that forced the crew to abandon its planned route to Vienna.
Among those on board was a delegation of young people scheduled to address the United Nations, the Israeli outlet reported.
Bulgaria’s Transport Ministry said the crew received the warning while the aircraft was flying near the Romanian border and decided to divert to Sofia.
Bulgarian fighter jets escort aircraft
Bulgaria scrambled MiG-29 fighter jets to escort the aircraft to the airport, according to the country’s Defence Ministry. The operation was coordinated with NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre in Spain.
The plane landed safely at 6:42 p.m. GMT, according to a statement from Lufthansa Group, the parent company of Austrian Airlines.
Security personnel began inspecting the aircraft after the passengers were evacuated. Austrian Airlines said it would arrange alternative flights for affected passengers following the checks.
Authorities investigate possible false alarm
Initial indications suggested that the bomb warning might have been a false alarm. However, authorities had not announced the final results of the investigation at the time of the report.
The incident followed a similar security alert involving a Delta Air Lines flight from New York that landed at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport the previous Tuesday.
Passengers were evacuated after an anonymous bomb warning, and the aircraft was moved to an isolated area for inspection. Subsequent security checks confirmed that the alert was false.
