Middle East: Austrian Airlines plane from Tel Aviv makes an unplanned landing in Bulgaria after a threat

Vienna. Due to a threat, a plane belonging to the Austrian airline Austrian Airlines made an unplanned stopover in Sofia. The plane was on its way from Tel Aviv to Vienna on Sunday evening when the course change occurred. “The affected aircraft – an Airbus A320 – will now be searched accordingly,” said a statement from Austrian Airlines, according to the Austrian news agency APA. The company confirmed the threat.

The plane landed in the Bulgarian capital at around 7:42 p.m. local time, Israeli media said. There was talk of a suspected bomb threat that had been received in Israel after takeoff. At that time the plane was near the Bulgarian-Romanian border.

According to Austrian Airlines, there were 51 passengers and six crew members on board, according to the APA report. The plane arrived safely in Sofia. After the aircraft was examined, the passengers would be quickly rebooked on an alternative connection.

A dramatic incident occurred on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30th. The co-pilot is said to have attacked the pilot with an axe. Despite serious injuries, the Indian captain was able to open the cockpit door. There, passengers were then able to overpower the attacker. A second crew brought the plane, which had slumped heavily during the attack, to land in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

According to investigators in the United Arab Emirates, the Oman-born co-pilot of the Flydubai flight is said to have planned a suicide attack and intended to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.