Tel Aviv–Vienna flight lands in Sofia after bomb threat; search finds nothing

Austrian Airlines Flight OS82 from Tel Aviv to Vienna was forced to land in Sofia, Bulgaria, late on 18 October 2026 after a bomb threat was reported on board. The aircraft was carrying 57 people, and a search of the plane, passengers and crew identified no danger.

Key facts

• Flight: Austrian Airlines OS82, Tel Aviv (TLV) to Vienna (VIE)
• Date of incident: 18 October 2026, with the airline's statement issued on Monday
• People on board: 57
• Diversion: unscheduled intermediate landing at Sofia (SOF), Bulgaria
• Outcome: no danger found; flight continued to Vienna with all passengers after reboarding

What happened on board?

Bulgaria's BTA news agency said the flight's crew reported receiving a bomb threat while the aircraft was approaching the Romanian border. Austrian Airlines confirmed that a threat was made against Flight OS82 and that this made an intermediate landing in Sofia necessary.

The aircraft involved was an Airbus A320, according to flight-tracking data from Flightradar24.

Was anyone in danger?

Austrian Airlines said a search was carried out of the affected aircraft, the passengers and the crew, and that no danger was identified. The airline said the flight then continued from Sofia to Vienna with all passengers on board after they reboarded.

What was the response in the air and on the ground?

BTA reported that the Bulgarian Air Force scrambled MiG-29 fighter jets in response to the incident. The Lufthansa Group, which owns Austrian Airlines, along with Vienna Airport and the Austrian Interior Ministry, did not respond to requests for comment.

The Austrian and Bulgarian interior ministers were due to hold a news conference in Vienna on Monday at 11 a.m. local time (5 a.m. ET) — an event that BTA-related reporting described as previously scheduled.

What this means for travellers

Passengers on Flight OS82 reached Vienna after the stopover in Sofia rather than on the direct routing from Tel Aviv. Travellers booked on Tel Aviv–Vienna services should be aware that security threats can lead to unscheduled landings, searches of aircraft and passengers, and onward travel only after reboarding.

Related incidents on Israel-linked routes have also been reported recently. The UAE attorney general said an Omani flydubai co-pilot intended to seize a 30 September Dubai–Tel Aviv flight and crash it into a terminal at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport before being thwarted by the captain.