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Bulgaria Won’t Probe Von der Leyen Flight GPS Loss as EU, NATO Boost Safeguards

The episode is accelerating plans to harden satellite navigation across Europe.

Un helicóptero militar rumano está estacionado junto al avión que transporta a la presidenta de la Comisión Europea, Ursula von der Leyen, durante su visita a la base aérea Mihail Kogalniceanu, cerca del puerto del mar Negro de Constanza, Rumania, el lunes 1 de septiembre de 2025.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen gets out of the helicopter after inspecting the Lithuanian-Belarusian border at the Border Guard School near Lithuanian-Belarusian border, near the village Medininkai, some 25 km (16 miles) east of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
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Overview

  • European Commission and Bulgarian air-traffic authorities confirmed the aircraft lost GPS signals on approach to Plovdiv, with pilots using terrestrial aids and paper charts to land safely.
  • Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said there will be no formal investigation, describing the disruption as a collateral effect of the regional conflict rather than a targeted cyberattack.
  • Commission spokespeople said Bulgarian authorities suspect Russian interference, a claim the Kremlin rejected through spokesperson Dmitri Peskov.
  • EU officials announced steps to reinforce satellite-navigation resilience and broader preparedness, while NATO chief Mark Rutte said the alliance is working to counter jamming around civilian flights.
  • Authorities report a marked rise in jamming and spoofing across Eastern Europe since 2022, with EU sanctions imposed in July and proposals to strengthen Galileo and operational security for state flights.