Flight from Israel forced into emergency landing after bomb threat on board just weeks after plane ‘hijacking’ terror

A FLIGHT from Israel has been forced into an emergency landing after reports of a bomb threat on board. The A320 aircraft was flying from Tel Aviv to Vienna as it was suddenly diverted to land in Sofia, Bulgaria, over a “bomb threat signal”. The Austrian Airlines received an anonymous tip which sparked the on board panic, according to The Times of Israel. Austrian authorities reportedly received a phone call from Vienna about a suspicious object on the plane. Passengers on board the threatened flight were believed to be a delegation of young people due to speak at the United Nations. The Austrian citizen who reported the bomb was not on the plane. At this stage it appears the report was a false alarm as no signs of an explosive were discovered after routine checks of the aircraft. Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport and Communications said: “According to initial information, there are six crew members and 51 passengers on board. “During the flight, on the border with Romania, the crew reported a bomb threat signal and decided to land in Sofia extraordinarily. “According to the procedures, an Air Force fighter took off and accompanied the plane until it landed at the airport in Sofia. Most read in The Sun “A working headquarters has been formed and the responsible institutions have started an inspection. “Passengers were taken off board the aircraft.” According to FlightRadar24 information, the flight landed at 9.08pm. The Lufthansa Group who own the airline, said: “We confirm that a threat was received regarding Austrian Airlines flight OS82 from Tel Aviv to Vienna, as a result of which the flight was diverted to land in Sofia, Bulgaria.” They say the affected passengers will be re-assigned to an alternative flight as soon as possible. Last week, two anonymous reports of bombs on Delta Airlines flights from New York to Israel were received, but both proved to be false. It comes just weeks after an Israel-bound Flydubai plane was diverted to Saudi Arabia following a suspected terror plot. The plane plummeted 17,400 feet in 90 seconds after a pilot hit his captain with an axe in an alleged attempt to take control of the passenger plane. Hamam al-Hammami, 29, allegedly attacked captain Smit Machchhar with the reported plan of crashing into Tel Aviv airport in the hope of causing mass casualties. Although badly hurt, Captain Smit was able to unlock the cockpit door, allowing for heroic passengers to take down the alleged hijacker. Once inside, the brave passengers and crew grappled with the Omani co-pilot to regain control of the plane. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the “heroes” on board the flydubai plane for their intervention.