A plane flying from Tel Aviv to Vienna was forced to land after a bomb threat was made. Flight 0S82 departed from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Sunday 18 Oct., before landing in Vasil Levski in Sofia, Bulgaria three hours later. 51 passengers and six crew members were said to be onboard and no injuries were reported.
Austrian Airlines confirmed that a threat had been made while flying over Romania which required a stopover in Sofia. The A320 was searched by authorities but the airline stated that no threat had been found and passengers continued their journey to Vienna. The threat was reportedly called in by an Austrian national who was not on the plane.
Bulgaria’s transport ministry an MiG-29 fighter jet assembled to escort the flight to Sofia. In a statement, the ministry said:
“During the flight, on the border with Romania, the crew reported a bomb threat signal and decided to land in Sofia extraordinarily.”
They continued:
“According to the procedures, an Air Force fighter took off and accompanied the plane until it landed at the airport in Sofia.
A working headquarters has been formed and the responsible institutions have started an inspection. Passengers were taken off board the aircraft.”
The incident is not the first concerning Israeli flights
The incident occurs amid tensions concerning flights in and out of Tel Aviv. Last month, the co-pilot on a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv attacked and wounded the captain with an emergency crash axe before being overpowered by passengers. The plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
Last week, a Delta Airlines from New York to Tel Aviv received an alleged bomb threat before landing. The aircraft was diverted to a remote section of Ben Gurion Airport, where passengers were evacuated and the plane was searched. There were no suspicious findings.
The Israeli Air Force have stated as the incident did not occur in Israeli air space, they were not involved or required to act at this time. An investigation has now begun to identify the source of the threat.
What do you make of the repeated incidents in Israel? Let us know in the comments.
Aviation Reporter - A recent BA Journalism graduate from the London College of Communication, Emilia combines a strong background in reporting and digital media with a deep passion for aviation. During her time at LCC, she served as a student ambassador and peer mentor while actively developing her social media expertise. In February 2026, Emilia was selected as a John Schofield Trust Student Fellow, gaining valuable industry mentorship to further hone her craft as an aviation journalist.
