MiG-29 Escort After Bomb Threat Forces Tel Aviv-Vienna Flight to Divert to Sofia
SOFIA, Oct. 19 — An Austrian Airlines passenger aircraft flying from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing in Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, after its crew received a bomb threat, Bulgaria’s Transport Ministry said Sunday.
The airline’s OS82 flight was near the Romanian border when the crew received the threat, prompting the pilot to divert the aircraft to Sofia, according to a statement from the ministry.
Bulgaria’s Defence Ministry said an Air Force MiG-29 fighter jet escorted the Airbus A320 to Sofia Airport.
The aircraft was carrying 51 passengers and six crew members, all of whom disembarked safely after landing, the Transport Ministry said.
Austrian Airlines told Agence France-Presse that security checks had been conducted on the aircraft and that arrangements would be made to transport passengers to their destination on alternative flights as soon as possible.
Bulgarian authorities formed a crisis management team and launched an investigation into the incident, the Transport Ministry said.
According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, the aircraft departed Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv at 6:46 p.m. local time on Sunday and landed in Sofia at 9:43 p.m.
Data from Flightradar24 showed that the aircraft entered Romanian airspace at around 9:10 p.m. before turning south and heading back toward Bulgaria. Information from flight-tracking platform ADS-B Exchange indicated that the aircraft was transmitting a general emergency signal around the same time.
Previous Incident Involving Flydubai Flight
The incident follows a separate emergency involving a Flydubai aircraft travelling from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv last month.
According to reports cited in the original account, a co-pilot allegedly attacked the pilot with an axe while the aircraft was carrying 174 passengers. The co-pilot was accused of attempting to crash the plane.
The aircraft reportedly descended about 17,000 feet before passengers and other crew members subdued the co-pilot. The remaining pilots regained control and diverted the aircraft to Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia.
United Arab Emirates authorities reportedly said the co-pilot intended to carry out a suicide attack by crashing the aircraft into Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.
The co-pilot, identified in the report as Omani national Hamam Al-Hammami, was charged with terrorism-related offences in the UAE.
Following that incident, the Israeli government reportedly ordered identity checks for pilots operating flights into the country.
