Crew of Austrian Airways flight OS82 decides to land in Sofia after receiving bomb menace, Bulgarian authorities say.
Printed On 18 Oct 2026
An Airbus A320 flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna has made an emergency touchdown in Bulgaria following a reported bomb menace, in response to the Bulgarian Ministry of Transport.
Austrian Airways flight OS82 was close to the border with Romania when the crew acquired a bomb menace and determined to land within the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, the Transport Ministry mentioned in a press release on Sunday.
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Bulgaria’s Ministry of Defence mentioned an air power MiG-29 fighter jet escorted the aircraft to Sofia airport.
Preliminary data confirmed the plane carried six crew members and 51 passengers, all of whom have all since disembarked, in response to the Transport Ministry’s assertion.
The airline advised the AFP information company {that a} safety search of the plane was carried out.
“As soon as the search of the plane is full, the passengers can be rebooked onto various flights as rapidly as potential,” the airline mentioned.
A disaster response staff has been arrange, and related authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, the Bulgarian Transport Ministry mentioned.
In keeping with aviation and flight monitoring website FlightAware, Austrian Airways 82 left the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv on Sunday at 6:46pm native time (15:46 GMT) and landed about three hours later at Vasil Levski airport in Sofia at 9:43pm (18:43 GMT).
Flightradar24 information confirmed it entered Romanian airspace at about 9:10pm (18:10 GMT) earlier than turning south and heading again in the direction of Bulgaria.
Data from the flight-tracking platform ADS-B Change signifies the plane was transmitting squawk code 7700 – a sign for a common emergency – at across the similar time.
Flydubai incident
Final month, a Flydubai plane carrying 174 passengers was on its method from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv when a co-pilot allegedly attacked the pilot with an axe in an try to crash the aircraft.
![A plane, carrying passengers who were on the FlyDubai aircraft bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an emergency signal, on the tarmac as it arrives at the Ben Gurion International Airport, in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, September 30, 2026 [Ammar Awad/Reuters]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2026-10-04T143706Z_234243230_RC2RTNAGNE7D_RTRMADP_3_ISRAEL-GULF-FLIGHT-AUSTRALIA-1792361230.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
The plane plunged about 17,000 toes (5,180 metres) earlier than it was introduced again below management by different Flydubai pilots after passengers and different crew subdued the alleged attacker.
The flight was diverted and compelled to make an emergency touchdown at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Worldwide Airport in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Authorities within the UAE mentioned the co-pilot was on a “suicide” mission to crash the aircraft at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv.
The co-pilot, Hamam Al-Hammami, an Omani nationwide, has since been charged with terrorism offences within the UAE.
The Israeli authorities responded to the incident by ordering checks on the identities of all pilots flying into the nation.
