Flight number OS82 from Tel Aviv to Vienna of Austrian Airlines was forced to land in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, due to a bomb threat. This incident occurred on Sunday, October 18, and after inspections, no significant threat was identified.
Details of the Incident
According to reports, the pilot of this flight was informed of a bomb threat while approaching the Romanian border. In response to this threat, the Bulgarian Air Force put MiG-29 fighters on standby. Meanwhile, it was revealed that the threat was made by an Austrian citizen who was not on the flight, communicated via phone to Vienna airport.
Read more: Israel and Qatar: Cooperation in Providing Humanitarian Aid to Gaza
Investigation Ongoing
Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner announced at a press conference in Vienna with his Bulgarian counterpart that an investigation into this threat is underway. He refrained from providing further details, stating only that "the flight was forced to land in Sofia due to the threat reported to Vienna airport."
There were 51 passengers and 6 crew members on this flight. According to information from the flight tracking site Flightradar24, this flight was an Airbus A320-200 with a capacity of 180 seats. In the early hours of Monday, the flight continued to Vienna.
Austrian Airlines stated in a release: "We confirm that there was a threat against flight OS82 on October 18, 2026, from Tel Aviv to Vienna, which led to the flight landing in Sofia. During the inspection of the aircraft, passengers, and crew, no threat was identified, and after reboarding, the flight continued to Vienna."
This incident occurred less than three weeks after a co-pilot on a flight to Israel attempted to seize control of the aircraft by attacking the captain.
Read more: Official Visit of Sultan Haitham bin Tariq to Britain · Indian Pilot, Samit Machkar, Recognized as a Hero
