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Austrian Airlines Flight Diverts to Bulgaria After Bomb Threat
Confirmed
In Short: An Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing in Bulgaria after a bomb threat.
An Airbus A320 flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing in Sofia, Bulgaria, after a reported bomb threat, Bulgarian authorities and the airline confirmed.
The flight, Austrian Airlines OS82, departed Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv at 6:46pm local time (15:46 GMT) on Sunday and landed in Sofia at 9:43pm (18:43 GMT).
According to Flightradar24 data, the aircraft entered Romanian airspace at about 9:10pm (18:10 GMT) before turning south and heading back towards Bulgaria.
The Bulgarian Ministry of Defence said an air force MiG-29 fighter jet escorted the plane to Sofia airport as part of established procedures.
The airline stated that once the search of the aircraft was complete, passengers would be rebooked onto alternative flights as quickly as possible.
The aircraft, registered OE-LZE, was transmitting squawk code 7700 – a signal for a general emergency – at around the same time, according to ADS-B Exchange data.
Bulgaria’s Transport Ministry said the aircraft carried six crew members and 51 passengers, all of whom disembarked after the emergency landing.
Security teams conducted a thorough search of the aircraft after it landed in Sofia.
In a separate incident late last month, a co-pilot aboard a Flydubai airline flight headed to Tel Aviv from Dubai attacked the captain and allegedly planned to crash the plane but was stopped by the captain, passengers, and crew.
The Bulgarian Defense Ministry said it scrambled MiG-29 fighter jets under NATO’s air policing mission to escort the plane to the ground.
What this adds
The bomb threat forced the flight to divert from its original route to Vienna.
Background
Langley addressed the cancellation during her October 10 concert in Lubbock, Texas, one day after she called off her scheduled performance at Tulsa's BOK Center.
What's confirmed
- Flightradar24 data showed it entered Romanian airspace at about 9:10pm (18:10 GMT) before turning south and heading back towards Bulgaria.
- “Once the search of the aircraft is complete, the passengers will be rebooked onto alternative flights as quickly as possible,” the airline said.
- SOFIA, Bulgaria: A bomb threat against an Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna on Sunday forced the plane to divert to Bulgaria, according to Bulgarian authorities and the airline.
- The Austrian Airlines crew decided to make an emergency landing in Sofia after reportedly receiving a bomb threat as they neared Romania, Bulgaria’s transport ministry said in a statement, adding that the passengers were evacuated from the aircraft after landing.
- Information from the flight-tracking platform ADS-B Exchange indicates the aircraft was transmitting squawk code 7700 – a signal for a general emergency – at around the same time.
What's still developing
- The aircraft plunged about 17,000 feet (5,180 metres) before it was brought back under control by other Flydubai pilots after passengers and other crew subdued the alleged attacker.