Threat forces Israel to Austria flight into emergency landing
The Airbus jet landed safely in Bulgaria and all passengers and crew aboard were unharmed, officials said.
A threat has forced an Austrian Airlines flight from Israel to Austria to make an emergency landing in Bulgaria after a reported bomb threat.
The Airbus A320 was flying from Tel Aviv to Vienna on Sunday night when it diverted to Sofia, where passengers were evacuated, according to a statement from the Bulgarian transport ministry.
The ministry said the Bulgarian air force sent up a MiG-29 fighter jet to escort the aircraft. No injuries have been reported, and an investigation has started.
The incident follows last month’s attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, when a pilot attacked the captain before the crew and passengers subdued him and the plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
Bulgarian and Israeli media reported that a bomb threat had been made.
Austrian Airlines confirmed that a threat was made, but did not provide further details. A spokesperson told AFP that there were 51 passengers and six crew members on board.
After the plane landed in Sofia, authorities carried out a security search about 30 minutes after the alert was first raised. The aircraft had been over Romania when it diverted to Sofia.
Flight-tracking data showed Austrian Airlines flight 82 departed Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening and landed at Vasil Levski airport in Sofia three hours later.
Last week, Croatia and Germany both scrambled fighter jets after a commercial flight from the Greek holiday island of Corfu to the German city of Nuremberg accidentally triggered a hijacking alert.