Austrian Airlines flight diverts to Sofia after reported bomb threat

An Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna diverted to Sofia, Bulgaria, on Sunday, October 18, after a reported bomb threat.

Austrian Airlines confirmed to Sky News that a threat against flight OS82 had required the stopover. The airline said the Airbus A320 landed safely with 51 passengers and six crew members aboard.

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport and Communications said the crew reported the threat near the Romanian border and decided to land in Sofia. A Bulgarian Air Force fighter escorted the aircraft, according to the ministry’s statement quoted by Sky News.

The ministry said passengers had left the aircraft and the responsible agencies had begun an inspection. Austrian Airlines initially told Sky News that the plane was being searched and passengers would be rebooked once the search was complete.

In a subsequent update reported by the BBC, Austrian Airlines confirmed that no threat was found and the flight completed its journey to Vienna with all passengers aboard.

The origin of the reported threat was not established in the statements reviewed for this report.