Minister of Defence Dragomir Zakov expressed concern over the false bomb threats on board passenger airplanes.

“What is worrying us is that such cases are now happening on a regular basis. We have to find out, together with our allies, where they come from and why, and whether there is a concrete reason to get NATO member fighter planes up in the air. Obviously this is a false alarm but we have to react,” Minister Zakov said.

On 11 May, during their watch, Bulgarian fighter planes escorted a passenger airplane after a bomb threat on board was reported. The Bulgarian pilots took over from their Romanian colleagues, escorting the plane over Bulgaria until Turkish fighters took over. The airplane made a successful landing in Istanbul.