Lufthansa Group confirmed Sunday evening that a bomb threat had been received concerning an Austrian Airlines aircraft traveling from Tel Aviv to Vienna, Austria. Following the threat, the flight was diverted for an emergency landing in Sofia, Bulgaria's capital.
The aircraft was operating flight OS82, using an Airbus A320, with 51 passengers and six crew members on board.
According to the airline, the aircraft landed safely at Sofia Airport at 8:42 p.m. Central European Summer Time after its flight path was changed in response to the security threat.
Earlier reports indicated that an emergency code had been activated during the flight over concerns about a suspicious object. Passengers were informed that an "anonymous report of a bomb on the plane" had been received.
Lufthansa Group said the aircraft "is undergoing security checks, and once the inspections are completed, passengers will be accommodated on an alternative flight as soon as possible."
A similar incident occurred last week, when a Delta Air Lines plane arriving at Ben Gurion Airport from the US raised security concerns following an anonymous report that a bomb had been planted aboard.
Following the report, the aircraft was moved to a remote parking stand at Ben Gurion Airport, and all passengers disembarked safely. Security personnel conducted a thorough search of the plane to rule out the presence of an explosive device.
After the checks were completed, the Israel Airports Authority announced that no suspicious findings had been discovered and that the airport had returned to routine operations.
“The aircraft was thoroughly searched by Ben Gurion Airport security personnel. The incident concluded with no unusual findings. Operations have returned to normal," the authority said at the time.