On Sunday, an Austrian Airlines Airbus A320 bound from Tel Aviv to Vienna, carrying 51 passengers and six crew, diverted to Sofia, Bulgaria after a bomb threat, according to the Bulgarian transport ministry.
Bulgarian air force scrambled a MiG‑29 fighter to escort the airliner, while the airline evacuated all 57 occupants and began a security sweep upon landing at 10:20 pm local time.
The transport ministry set up a crisis response team and launched an investigation; the aircraft, registered OE‑LZE, transmitted the emergency squawk 7700 during its southward turn, confirming the threat.
Austrian Airlines said it will rebook passengers on alternative flights once the search concludes; the incident follows a string of last‑month security scares on commercial flights, including a flydubai co‑pilot’s attempt to crash a plane.
Authorities expect the investigation to determine whether the threat was credible and whether any weapons were found; the flight’s original schedule, 9:00 pm departure from Tel Aviv, remains unchanged for future routes.