The Smart Marty Sky Dispatch
Austrian Airlines: No danger found on diverted Tel Aviv-Vienna flight
The Israel Air Force has noted that the incident did not occur in or near Israeli airspace, and therefore they are not involved in the incident and were not required to act at this time.
Austrian Airlines confirmed that there was a threat against flight OS82, which was operating from Tel Aviv to Vienna, prompting an intermediate landing in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The aircraft involved was an Airbus A320-214, carrying 51 passengers and six crew members. The flight path began at Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv and diverted after the suspected bomb threat near the Romanian-Bulgarian border.
An emergency was declared by the captain, and the plane landed safely in Sofia at about 7:42 p.m. local time. After the stop, passengers and crew were evacuated under local security supervision as bomb disposal teams and security personnel conducted searches.
Following the searches in Sofia, no danger was identified on board, and the flight continued from Sofia to Vienna later that night with all passengers on board.
Austrian Airlines stated that the incident did not occur in or near Israeli airspace, and the Israel Air Force said it was not involved in the incident.
The flight OS82 originated in Tel Aviv at approximately 7:04 p.m. local time and was diverted due to the threat, with no explosive device reported as found at that stage.