Austrian Airlines bomb threat flight lands safely in Vienna after Sofia diversion
The plane carrying 51 passengers landed in Sofia and continued to Vienna early Monday after a bomb threat and a MiG-29 escort.
Update ·
Plane resumes journey, landing safely in Vienna early Monday after a security search in Sofia.
An Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna, diverted to Sofia on Sunday evening after a bomb threat, resumed its journey and landed safely in Vienna in the early hours of Monday, Austrian media reported. The Airbus A320 was carrying 51 passengers and six crew members, Austrian Airlines told AFP.
Bulgaria's transport ministry said the crew reported a bomb threat as the aircraft was flying near the Romanian border and decided to make an unscheduled landing in Sofia. A Bulgarian air force MiG-29 fighter jet escorted the airliner to the airport under standard procedure, and officials set up a crisis team and opened an investigation, the ministry said.
The plane landed safely in Sofia at 20:42 local time, the Lufthansa Group said in a statement confirming it had received a threat concerning flight OS82. Passengers were taken off the aircraft while it was searched; once the check was completed, they were to be rebooked onto the fastest available alternative flights, the airline said.
The aircraft was later cleared to continue and landed in Vienna early on Monday morning, Austria's Kronen Zeitung reported, citing an ORF news update shortly before 4am.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Austrian Airlines had received the warning from an Austrian citizen who was not on board the flight. Lithuanian outlet 15min, citing Israeli reports, said preliminary information suggested the threat was false.
The incident was the latest in a series of security scares on flights linked to Israel. Two bomb threats against Delta Air Lines flights from New York to Israel last week both turned out to be false alarms, and a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia earlier this month after a co-pilot attacked the captain in an attempted hijacking that passengers helped thwart. In a separate incident the previous week, a flight from Corfu accidentally transmitted a hijack code, prompting two German air force jets to escort it to Nuremberg as a precaution; police found no danger after it landed safely.
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What we know
- 2+ outlets · DER STANDARD, Heute +6 The Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna, carrying 51 passengers and six crew, diverted to Sofia on 18 October after a bomb threat.
- 2+ outlets · 20 Minuten, Blick +2 The plane landed safely in Sofia at 20:42 local time, escorted by a Bulgarian air force MiG-29.
- 2+ outlets · 20 Minuten, Blick +1 Haaretz reported the threat came from an Austrian citizen not on board; other reports said it was believed to be false.
- 2+ outlets · 20 Minuten, Blick +1 The aircraft was searched, then continued to Vienna, landing early on Monday.
- 2+ outlets · 20 Minuten, Blick No casualties or injuries were reported.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
Flights to and from Israel have faced repeated security scares in recent weeks, and Sunday's threat added to the strain on European airspace authorities already handling a run of hoax and genuine alerts. Bulgarian and German fighter jets have now escorted passenger aircraft within days of each other, showing how seriously authorities are treating threats on this route even when, as in most recent cases, they turn out to be unfounded.
Updates
·
Plane resumes journey, landing safely in Vienna early Monday after a security search in Sofia.
First published.
Sources
Reported by 39 reports from 40 independent outlets in 17 countries.
- DER STANDARD: Flug von Tel Aviv nach Wien wegen Bombendrohung umgeleitet
- Heute: Auto erfasst Kind (5) in Wien – Bub schwer verletzt
- 20 Minuten: Tel Aviv – Wien: Austrian-Airlines-Flug wegen Bombendrohung umgeleitet
- Blick: Flug von Tel Aviv nach Wien wegen Bombendrohung umgeleitet
- 15min: Lėktuvas iš Tel Avivo į Vieną leidosi avariniu būdu: sulaukė grasinimų dėl bombos
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- Where did the Austrian Airlines flight land after the bomb threat?
- It landed in Sofia, Bulgaria, escorted by a Bulgarian air force MiG-29, before continuing to Vienna early on Monday.
- How many people were on board?
- 51 passengers and six crew members, according to Austrian Airlines.
- Was the bomb threat confirmed?
- No explosive device was found; reports said the threat was believed to be false.
This article was written with AI assistance from 41 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.