The plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had to make an emergency landing in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, on Sunday. The pilots were forced to use traditional paper maps after its GPS system stopped working mid-flight.

According to reports, the aircraft lost its satellite navigation capabilities during the journey, forcing the pilots to rely on conventional charts to guide the plane safely to the airport.

Experts, speaking to the Financial Times, suggest that the incident may be linked to Russian interference. “The GPS across the entire airport region went dark,” one official said. The pilot reportedly circled the airport for about an hour before deciding it was safe to land. Bulgaria’s Air Traffic Services Authority confirmed the incident in a statement to the Financial Times.

“Since February 2022, there has been a noticeable increase in GPS interference and, more recently, signal spoofing,” the statement said. “These disruptions compromise the accurate reception of GPS signals, creating operational challenges for both aircraft and ground systems.”

Rising Threats from GPS Interference

Known as GPS jamming or spoofing, these disruptions distort or block access to satellite navigation. They have historically been used by military and intelligence agencies to secure sensitive areas.

EU governments have warned that the growing interference attributed to Russia poses a serious risk, potentially causing catastrophic accidents by effectively blinding commercial aircraft mid-flight.

Incidents of GPS disruption have notably increased in the Baltic Sea region and in Eastern European countries near Russia in recent years, affecting airplanes, ships, and civilians who rely on satellite navigation for everyday travel.

After her visit, Ursula von der Leyen departed on the same plane without further issues.