Bulgarian Politicians Make Emergency Landing in Vienna

An Austrian Airlines (AUA) Boeing 737-800 bound for Sofia in Bulgaria made an emergency landing at Vienna International Airport (VIA) this afternoon (Fri). Photo by Austrian Times

An Austrian Airlines (AUA) Boeing 737-800 bound for Sofia and carrying Bulgarian politicians on board, made an emergency landing at Vienna International Airport Friday afternoon.

AUA spokeswoman Livia Dandrea-Böhm said the pilot had turned back a few minutes after taking off at VIA because of smoke in the aircraft's cabin.

AUA flight OS 797 took off at 1:47pm and made "a fully problem-free" landing back at VIA at 1:52pm.

All passengers will be flown to Sofia on a substitute AUA aircraft during the afternoon.

"There was no panic aboard the plane and we didn't feel like our lives were threatened,"Bulgaria's Deputy Economy Minister Nina Radeva, who is among the passengers aboard, told the Bulgarian National Radio.

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