Flight from Israel makes emergency landing over ‘bomb threat’

A passenger plane from Israel was escorted by a fighter jet during emergency landing after suspected bomb threat.

An Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport to Vienna, Austria, was forced to make an emergency landing after the alarm was raised.

Flight OS82 took off on Sunday evening and headed north, climbing to 38,000 ft cruising altitude.

But more than two hours into the flight, pilots of the Airbus A320 jet declared a general emergency on board when the aircraft had entered Romanian airspace.

Within minutes, the plane diverted to the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.

Bulgarian Air Force sent a MiG-29 fighter jet to escort the passenger plane to its destination.

The aviation industry remains on high alert after the attempted hijacking of the Flydubai flight last month, which saw a hero pilot and passengers thwart a catastrophe.

The security alert is said to have been prompted by a suspicious object inside the plane.

One passenger told Ynet they had been told about an ‘anonymous report of a bomb on the plane.’

The plane is said to have been carrying a delegation of young people on their way to speak at the United Nations, Israeli media reports.

Austrian Airlines said the aircraft was carrying 51 passengers and six crew.

The airline confirmed that ‘a threat was made against flight OS82,’ but it didn’t give further information.

The aircraft, passengers and the crew were searched and ‘no threat was identified,’ Austrian Airlines told Metro in a statement.

It continued: ‘Later that night, after re-boarding, flight OS82 continued its journey from Sofia to Vienna with all passengers on board. The safety of our passengers and crew is always our top priority.’

Bulgaria’s ministry of transport said: ‘An A320 aircraft operating flight OS82 from Tel Aviv to Vienna was diverted to Sofia this evening following a bomb threat. According to initial information, there are 6 crew members and 51 passengers on board.

‘While over the border with Romania, the crew reported receiving a bomb threat and decided to make an emergency landing in Sofia. 

‘In accordance with procedures, a Bulgarian Air Force fighter jet took off and escorted the aircraft until it landed at Sofia Airport. 

‘An operational task force has been set up and the responsible institutions have started an inspection. The passengers have been disembarked from the aircraft.’

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