An Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing in Sofia, Bulgaria, following a reported bomb threat on Sunday, October 18.
The aircraft carried 51 passengers and six crew members, according to Sky News, which cited Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport and Communications.
The crew reported the bomb threat while the plane was flying near the Romanian border. Pilots then decided to divert to Sofia Airport.
Bulgarian authorities sent a military fighter jet to escort the aircraft until it landed safely.
Passengers Evacuated After Emergency Landing
Flight tracking service Flightradar24 identified the aircraft as an Airbus A320 with registration number OE-LZE.
The plane was scheduled to depart Tel Aviv for Vienna at 6:40 p.m. Flight tracking data showed that it diverted toward Sofia at approximately 9:25 p.m.
After landing, authorities removed the passengers from the aircraft.
The Bulgarian transport ministry confirmed the emergency landing in a statement cited by Sky News.
Reuters Unable to Independently Confirm Report
Reuters said it could not immediately verify the information.
Austrian Airlines and Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport and Communications had not responded to Reuters’ requests for comment at the time of reporting.
Authorities had not announced whether investigators found any explosives aboard the aircraft.
Officials had also not released further details about the source of the bomb threat.
