Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna forced to land in Sofia after bomb threat
Flight carrying 51 passengers and six crew diverted to Sofia; aircraft sent emergency squawk 7700 and was escorted by a Bulgarian fighter jet.
An Austrian Airlines plane on the Tel Aviv–Vienna route was forced to divert and land in Sofia, Bulgaria on October 19, 2026, after a bomb threat was received on board.
Emergency squawk, fighter jet escort and full aircraft search
Flight-tracking data from ADS-B Exchange shows the aircraft transmitted squawk 7700, the universal code for a general emergency. Bulgarian authorities say the crew decided to land in the capital, where passengers were safely evacuated and a detailed search of the aircraft began.
The Bulgarian Ministry of Transport reported that the aircraft was accompanied to the landing by a Bulgarian Air Force fighter jet. Flight-tracking site Flightradar24 indicates the plane entered Romanian airspace before turning south and returning to Bulgaria to land in Sofia.
Austrian Airlines confirmed there were 51 passengers and six crew members on board. The carrier said passengers will be rebooked onto alternative flights once the security check is completed.
Bulgarian authorities have set up a crisis team to follow the situation. The precise cause and circumstances of the threat remain unclear while investigators carry out searches and checks at Sofia airport.
This diversion is part of a series of recent bomb threats affecting flights linked to Israel. In the previous week, two Delta Airlines services were among flights that received bomb threats that later proved to be false alarms. Separately, last month a Flydubai co-pilot was suspected of attacking the pilot and attempting to hijack a flight to crash it in Israel.
Photo: arhiva
