GPS signal jamming in Sofia did not affect safety: Transport Minister

“There has been interference with GPS signals over Sofia, including at the capital’s airport and affecting aircraft flying over the city. However, this did not compromise safety.” Bulgarian Transport Minister Georgi Peev made the comment to bTV in response to information from the State Agency for National Security (SANS) that a powerful GPS jammer had been located and neutralized at a heavily guarded compound in Sofia’s Dragalevtsi district.

Bulgarian security services neutralize powerful GPS jammer in Sofia

The minister said that when it comes to aviation, safety is the most important consideration and everything must be assessed from that perspective. “The security services responded appropriately to the compromised GPS navigation,” he added. According to him, more than 1.2 million aircraft fly through Bulgarian airspace each year.

Professional pilot and aviation journalist Aleksandar Bogoyavlenski confirmed to the Bulgarian National Radio that there had been problems with GPS signals affecting aircraft taking off from and landing at Sofia Airport. “The GPS signal being jammed in the Sofia area continuously for several days is something that has never happened before. Usually, the interference reached the Black Sea coast, where this problem is most commonly encountered,” the pilot told BNR.

Edited by Diana Tsankova