“Tel Aviv” Flight Diverted over Bomb Threat

By Staff, Agencies

An Austrian Airlines flight carrying 57 people from “Tel Aviv”, “Israel” to Vienna made an emergency landing in Bulgaria following a bomb threat.

According to a statement from Bulgaria’s Transport Ministry, the crew of Austrian Airlines flight OS82, an Airbus A320, reported that it received a bomb threat while flying near the Romanian border on Sunday.

Bulgarian MiG-29 fighter jets were scrambled to escort the aircraft to Vasil Levski Sofia Airport. All 51 passengers and six crew members disembarked safely.

Austrian Airlines spokeswoman Anita Kiefer said the passengers will be rebooked on alternative flights following a police search of the aircraft.

The incident follows two bomb threats involving Delta Air Lines flights between New York and “Tel Aviv” on October 13. One aircraft was evacuated and searched after landing at “Ben Gurion” Airport, while another was held at New York’s JFK Airport before departure. Both were cleared after security inspections found no explosives.

The latest scare also comes after an attack aboard a Flydubai flight carrying mostly “Israeli” passengers from Dubai to “Tel Aviv” on September 30. A co-pilot attacked the captain with an emergency axe and attempted to seize control of the aircraft.

According to Emirati prosecutors, the suspect, an Omani national, planned to crash the aircraft into the passenger terminal at “Ben Gurion” Airport.

Following the attempted operation, “Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered tighter security checks on foreign airline crews and a comprehensive review of security procedures.