A plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, currently on a tour of Eastern Europe ‘frontline states’ was hit by GPS interference on Sunday, with Russia suspected of being behind the attack.
“We can confirm there was GPS jamming but the plane landed safe,” Arianna Podestà, deputy spokesperson of the Commission, said in a statement reported by POLITICO.
Von der Leyen, who is in Romania on Monday, is on a tour visiting Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, Bulgaria as well as Romania, to underscore the European Union’s commitment to ramping up its defense and security capabilities.
The chartered jet was unable to use electronic navigational aids as a result of the interference while approaching the airport at Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second-largest city.
“In order to ensure the safety of the flight, Air Traffic Services immediately proposed an alternative landing approach using ground-based navigation aids (Instrument Landing System). The ground-based navigation aids used in Bulgaria are independent of GPS systems and allow safe and reliable landings,” a press release from the Bulgarian government said.
