According to Al Jazeera, on October 18 local time, the Bulgarian Ministry of Transport announced that a passenger plane flying from Israel to Austria received a bomb threat and was forced to make an emergency landing in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.
The statement indicates that the incident involved Austrian Airlines Flight OS82, which took off from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, with a destination of Vienna. Shortly after entering Romanian airspace, the flight crew suddenly received a bomb threat and decided to turn south, making a landing at Sofia Airport in Bulgaria.
The Bulgarian Ministry of Defense stated that an MiG-29 fighter jet was deployed by the air force to escort the aircraft to Sofia.
Preliminary information indicates that there were 6 crew members and 51 passengers on the aircraft. After the plane landed, all personnel had already left the aircraft. Austrian Airlines stated that they have conducted a safety check on the aircraft, and “once the inspection is completed, we will arrange alternative flights for the passengers as soon as possible.”
The Bulgarian Ministry of Transport has established a crisis response team, and relevant departments are investigating this incident.
