Austrian Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Sofia Following Bomb Threat

Austrian Airlines flight OS82, en route from Tel Aviv to Vienna, made an emergency landing at Sofia airport on Sunday after its crew received a bomb threat.

Bulgaria's Transport Ministry announced that the Airbus A320 was approaching the border with Romania when the crew decided to divert to Sofia. Bulgaria's Defence Ministry stated that a MiG-29 fighter jet from the air force escorted the aircraft until landing.

The flight carried six crew members and 51 passengers, all of whom disembarked safely. Austrian Airlines conducted a comprehensive security inspection of the aircraft and said in a statement to Agence France-Presse: "Once the aircraft inspection is completed, passenger seats will be rebooked on alternative flights at the earliest possible time."

Bulgaria's Transport Ministry announced the formation of a crisis management team, and the relevant authorities launched an investigation into the incident.