An Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna made an emergency landing in Bulgaria after a bomb threat was received in an anonymous message, infohub.kz reports.
According to the Israeli outlet Ynet, a delegation of young people due to speak at the United Nations was on board.
The incident was reported by local outlet KAN News. "An Austrian Airlines plane that departed Ben Gurion Airport for Vienna on Sunday evening made an unscheduled landing in Sofia, Bulgaria, over a suspected bomb on board. The circumstances of the incident are being established," the publication said.
Lufthansa Group, which owns Austrian Airlines, later confirmed the incident: the aircraft did land because of a threat message. The carrier added that once checks are completed, all passengers will be sent to Vienna on an alternative flight.
"There were 51 passengers and six crew members on board. After the checks are completed, the passengers will be sent on an alternative flight as soon as possible," the company said.
Bulgaria's Transport Ministry said the crew received a bomb threat message and decided to make an emergency landing in Sofia, near the border with Romania.
The incident comes after an emergency on board a Dubai–Tel Aviv flight on September 30. A Boeing 737 sent a distress signal while turning over Saudi Arabia, transmitting code 7500, which indicates hijacking or unlawful interference. Israeli Air Force fighter jets were scrambled toward the airliner. Israel said the Flydubai pilot had intended to crash the plane at Tel Aviv airport. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the incident on board as an attempted terrorist attack. The name and nationality of the pilot suspected of attempting the attack were also disclosed. The Prosecutor General's Office of the United Arab Emirates also classified the incident as an attempted terrorist attack.