Jet Carrying European Commission President Has Systems Jammed

A chartered aircraft carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had its navigation system jammed while on approach to Plovdiv in Bulgaria. An EC spokesperson confirmed the incident, which happened on August 31, saying that Bulgarian authorities suspect the attack was “due to blatant interference by Russia.”

Local officials told The Financial Times that pilots had resorted to using hard copy maps to land at Plovdiv Airport (LBPD) after a flight from the Polish capital Warsaw. “The satellite signal transmitting information to the plane’s GPS navigation system was neutralized,” a Bulgarian government spokesman said in a written statement. “To ensure the flight’s safety, air control services immediately offered an alternative landing method using terrestrial navigation tools.”

According to footage aired on multiple TV news outlets, including Bloomberg Television, the aircraft carrying Von der Leyen was a Dassault Falcon 900LX. The Belgian-registered jet (tail number OOO-GPE) is operated by charter group Luxaviation.

Citing "regulatory reasons", the company did not comment directly on the incident, but told BJT that its "pilots have demonstrated full proficiency and adherence to [the] highest safety standards." TV news reports showed Von der Leyen disembarking from the aircraft and being greeted by Bulgarian officials.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen landed in Plovdiv, Bulgaria on August 31.

Later that day, the aircraft flew from Plovdiv to the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. On September 1, it continued to Constanta in Romania as part of Von der Leyen’s tour of seven European Union states.

According to EASA and air traffic control agencies in several Eastern European states, there has been a marked increase in GPS jamming since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. However, a Russian government spokesman denied that the country had been involved in the jamming attack on Von der Leyen’s aircraft, which happened three days after Russian forces destroyed part of a European Union office in Kyiv as part of a heavy drone and missile attack on the Ukrainian capital.