Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security has neutralised a powerful GPS jammer in Sofia’s Dragalevtsi district after the device was found suppressing satellite-navigation signals across the capital, including around Sofia Airport. The interference affected aircraft flying over Sofia and nearby television towers, but airport operations continued on schedule and flight safety was not compromised.
The device was located inside a heavily guarded complex during a joint operation involving the security agency, the Communications Regulation Commission and the Interior Ministry directorate in Sofia. Transport Minister Georgi Peev said the disruption was detected immediately and forced crews to rely on conventional ground-based navigation aids instead of satellite signals.
A Bulgarian pilot and aviation journalist reported that GPS problems had been evident for several days around take-off and landing at Sofia, although no delays or safety incidents were recorded. Public reporting has not established who placed or operated the jammer, but multiple Bulgarian outlets converged on the same account of the incident and its immediate containment.