Tel Aviv-Vienna flight makes emergency landing after bomb threat

A bomb threat forced an Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna to divert to Sofia on Sunday, though a search found nothing dangerous so the plane took off again and ​flew onwards, the airline and Bulgaria's BTA news agency said.

BTA said the flight's crew ​reported receiving a bomb threat when the aircraft was approaching the Romanian ⁠border, and the Bulgarian Air Force scrambled MiG-29 fighter jets. Israeli newspaper Haaretz said the ​threat was "called in by an Austrian national who was not on board", without identifying its source.

"We ​confirm that there was a threat against flight OS82 on October 18, 2026, from Tel Aviv to Vienna (TLV to VIE), which made it necessary for the flight to make an intermediate landing in Sofia (SOF)," the airline said.

"During the search of the affected aircraft, the passengers, and the ​crew, no danger was identified," it said, adding that the flight continued from Sofia to Vienna with all ‌passengers after ⁠reboarding.

The plane was carrying 51 passengers and six crew members aboard.