A bomb threat against an Austrian Airlines flight travelling from Tel Aviv to Vienna forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Bulgaria on Sunday, prompting a fighter jet escort and a security investigation, Bulgarian authorities and the airline said.
The flight crew decided to divert to Sofia after reportedly receiving the threat as the aircraft approached Romanian airspace, Bulgaria’s transport ministry said in a statement. Passengers were evacuated after the plane landed safely at the Bulgarian capital’s airport.
The Bulgarian air force scrambled a MiG-29 fighter jet to escort the passenger aircraft in line with established procedures, the ministry said.
Austrian Airlines told AFP that 51 passengers and six crew members were on board the Airbus A320. A security search of the aircraft began after it landed in Sofia, approximately 30 minutes after the threat was received.
“Once the search of the aircraft is complete, the passengers will be rebooked onto alternative flights as quickly as possible,” the airline said.
Flight-tracking data provided by Flightradar24 showed that the aircraft, registered as OE-LZE, entered Romanian airspace at about 9:10 pm before changing direction and heading south towards Bulgaria. It subsequently landed in Sofia.
Data from another tracking platform, ADS-B Exchange, indicated that the aircraft was transmitting the squawk code 7700 around the same time. The code is used by pilots to signal a general emergency to air traffic controllers.
Bulgaria’s transport ministry said a crisis response team had been established and the relevant authorities had launched an investigation into the incident. No further details about the origin or credibility of the bomb threat were immediately provided.
The incident follows other recent aviation security alerts involving commercial passenger flights in Europe and the Middle East.
Late last month, the co-pilot of a flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv allegedly attacked the captain and planned to deliberately crash the aircraft. The captain, assisted by passengers and other crew members, reportedly stopped the co-pilot.
Last week, Croatia and Germany scrambled fighter jets after a commercial flight travelling from the Greek holiday island of Corfu to the German city of Nuremberg accidentally transmitted a hijacking alert.
The Bulgarian authorities have not announced any connection between Sunday’s bomb threat and the other incidents. The investigation into the Austrian Airlines flight is continuing, while the airline has said it will arrange alternative travel for the affected passengers once security checks are completed.
