Flight from Israel Makes Emergency Landing in Bulgaria After Bomb Threat
An Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing in Sofia, Bulgaria, after receiving a bomb threat. The aircraft, carrying 51 passengers and six crew, was escorted by a Bulgarian air force MiG-29 fighter jet following the incident.
What happened
- An Austrian Airlines Airbus A320 flight, OS82, travelling from Tel Aviv to Vienna, made an emergency landing in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Sunday evening.
- According to the Bulgarian Ministry of Transport and Communications, the crew reported a bomb threat signal near the border with Romania, prompting the decision to land in Sofia.
- A Bulgarian MiG-29 fighter jet was scrambled to escort the aircraft to the airport.
- The aircraft, carrying 51 passengers and six crew members, was evacuated following the landing.
- Austrian Airlines confirmed a threat was received and stated a security search of the aircraft was conducted.
- The airline indicated that passengers would be rebooked onto alternative flights as soon as possible.
- This incident follows a previous attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight in Saudi Arabia and an accidental hijacking alert involving a commercial flight from Corfu to Nuremberg, both of which prompted fighter jet deployments.
Original reporting
- Sky News: Flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna makes emergency landing after bomb threat
2026-10-18T19:45:00+00:00 - BBC: Bomb threat forces Tel Aviv to Vienna flight to land in Bulgaria
2026-10-19T02:41:50.897000+00:00 - Al Jazeera: Flight from Israel makes emergency landing in Bulgaria after bomb threat
2026-10-18T00:00:00+00:00 - Deutsche Welle: Flight from Tel Aviv makes emergency stop after bomb threat
2026-10-19T03:22:19.047000+00:00 - GB News: Israel flight makes emergency landing after 'bomb threat' weeks after 'jihadist' hijack attempt
2026-10-18T21:14:16+00:00 - South China Morning Post: Bomb threat forces Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to divert to Bulgaria
2026-10-19T02:12:37+00:00