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Agence France-Presse

Bloomberg

A plane carrying EU chief Ursula von der Leyen was hit by GPS jamming as it readied to land in Bulgaria on Sunday, Brussels said on Monday, alleging Russia was thought to be behind the incident.
The European Commission said Bulgarian authorities suspected the disruption “was due to blatant interference” from Moscow, but it was not clear if the chartered flight was deliberately targeted.
“We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming,” Commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta told a press conference in Brussels.
The aircraft landed safely at Plovdiv International Airport, in the south of the country, without having to change route.
Commission President von der Leyen, 66, a fierce critic of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, was in Bulgaria as part of a seven-country tour of “frontline” European Union states which, sitting on the 27-nation bloc’s eastern flank, are more exposed to Russian hybrid threats.
The region has experienced “a lot of such jamming and spoofing activities”, the commission said, adding it has sanctioned several companies believed to be involved.
The Bulgarian government confirmed the incident.

“During the flight carrying European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to Plovdiv, the satellite signal transmitting information to the plane’s GPS navigation system was neutralised,” a government statement said.
“To ensure the flight’s safety, air control services immediately offered an alternative landing method using terrestrial navigation tools,” it said.
The Financial Times newspaper, which first reported the incident, said the plane was forced to land using paper maps.
GPS jamming uses a frequency transmitting device to block or interfere with radio communications, usually by broadcasting signals from the ground that are stronger than satellite-based signals.
When a system is jammed, it might have to be switched off for the duration of the flight, which can cause stress and delays for take-off and landing because certain procedures require GPS to function.
But major airports have a variety of navigation tools available if GPS isn’t working.
GPS jamming incidents have significantly increased, particularly in the Baltic Sea region, since Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, hitting GPS and affecting air and maritime communications.
Last year, Estonia accused Russia of jamming GPS navigation devices in airspace above the Baltic States. Finnair had to divert two flights back to Helsinki after GPS interference prevented their approach to Tartu in eastern Estonia.


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The GPS jamming forced pilots to land using paper maps, with Brussels attributing the disruption to ‘blatant interference’ from Moscow


The GPS jamming forced pilots to land using paper maps, with Brussels attributing the disruption to ‘blatant interference’ from Moscow.


EU chief’s plane hit by suspected Russian GPS jamming over Bulgaria

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The GPS jamming forced pilots to land using paper maps, with Brussels attributing the disruption to ‘blatant interference’ from Moscow

The GPS jamming forced pilots to land using paper maps, with Brussels attributing the disruption to ‘blatant interference’ from Moscow