On Sunday evening, Austrian Airlines Flight OS82, scheduled from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv to Vienna-Schwechat Airport in Vienna, was forced to deviate from its planned flight path and execute an unscheduled diversion to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.
According to reports from the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency, the flight crew reported receiving a bomb threat as the aircraft approached the Romanian border. In response to the contingency:
- The Bulgarian Air Force immediately scrambled MiG-29 fighter jets to intercept and escort the commercial airliner until it safely landed at the Bulgarian airport.
- Israeli daily Haaretz reported, citing unnamed sources, that the threatening phone call was allegedly made by an Austrian national who was not onboard the aircraft.
Security Screening and Aircraft Details
The carrier confirmed the incident in an official statement released Monday, noting that the threat prompted the precautionary technical stop to safeguard flight operations.
Local authorities and aviation security personnel in Sofia conducted a thorough inspection of the aircraft, passengers, and baggage:
- Onboard Manifest: The aircraft was carrying 51 passengers and 6 crew members.
- Airframe: Tracking data from Flightradar24 indicated that the service was operated by an Airbus A320-200—an aircraft type that, according to Austrian Airlines specifications, has a seating capacity of up to 180 passengers.
- Security Protocol Outcome: “During the inspection of the affected aircraft, passengers, and crew, no threat was identified,” the airline confirmed.
Following the completion of security checks and passenger re-boarding without further incident, the aircraft was cleared for departure to its final destination.
During a scheduled press conference in Vienna alongside his Bulgarian counterpart, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner stated that a formal investigation into the incident remains underway.
“This Austrian Airlines flight had to land in Sofia due to a telephoned threat made to Vienna Airport,” Karner said, declining to provide further details regarding the origin of the call.
The minister also confirmed that the aircraft completed its flight and touched down in Vienna during the early hours of Monday.
Recent Aviation Security Context on Israeli Routes
The incident comes less than three weeks after another critical security event involving flights tied to Tel Aviv. The United Arab Emirates Federal Public Prosecution announced that an Omani first officer for flydubai attacked the captain with an axe on September 30 in an apparent suicide attempt to crash the aircraft into a Ben Gurion International Airport terminal—an action that was thwarted in mid-flight.
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