Bomb threat diverts Austrian Airlines flight to Sofia, escorted by MiG‑29

A bomb threat forced an Austrian Airlines Airbus A320 bound for Vienna from Tel Aviv to make an emergency landing in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Sunday. The crew received the threat as the plane entered Romanian airspace around 9:10 p.m. and chose to divert, landing about half an hour later. Bulgarian authorities scrambled a MiG‑29 fighter to escort the aircraft, following standard response procedures. The flight, registered OE‑LZE, transmitted the general‑emergency squawk 7700 before the diversion. Fifty‑one passengers and six crew members were evacuated and a security search of the plane began after it stopped on the runway. The airline said passengers will be rebooked onto other flights once the search is finished. Bulgaria’s Transport Ministry set up a crisis response team and opened an investigation into the incident. The event follows a late‑month flydubai co‑pilot attack and recent hijack alerts that saw Croatia and Germany also dispatch fighter jets. ## Context Bomb threats to commercial flights trigger immediate diversion and military escort as a safety measure, and authorities typically conduct thorough security checks before allowing passengers to continue travel.