Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna lands in Sofia after bomb blast

An Austrian Airlines flight traveling from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an unscheduled landing in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Sunday evening following a report of a suspicious object on board the plane.

Passengers told Ynet that they were informed that an “anonymous report of a bomb on the plane” had been received, prompting the crew to divert the flight from its original route to the Austrian capital.

Among the passengers was a delegation of young people who were to give speeches at the United Nations.

After the plane took off for Vienna, the Austrian capital, and left Israeli airspace, the airline received a bomb threat from an Austrian citizen, prompting the plane to divert to Bulgaria. Passengers were evacuated and security checks began on board the plane. The Austrian citizen who reported the alleged bomb was not on board and initial indications suggest it was a false alarm.

Lufthansa Group said in a statement: “We confirm that a threat was received regarding Austrian Airlines flight OS82 from Tel Aviv to Vienna, prompting the aircraft to divert to Sofia, Bulgaria. The aircraft landed safely at 8:42 p.m. Central European Summer Time. The Airbus A320 underwent security checks. There were 51 passengers and six members crew on board. Passengers will be reassigned to another flight as soon as possible.”