The Frontex mission, the European Union’s external border security agency, has paused flights over the Black Sea following a tense incident in which a Polish aircraft was intercepted by a Russian Su-35 fighter jet. The alert was reported by Polish broadcasters, with RMF24 cited as a source detailing the event and its immediate consequences.
Flight operations linked to this border mission are set to resume only after the Romanian border service assures all participating nations that air safety will be fully maintained. The pause reflects elevated concerns about risk management, pilot workload, and the potential for miscommunication in high-pressure airspace where several nations coordinate security and humanitarian efforts.
A statement attributed to the Romanian Ministry of Defense described the encounter as aggressive and unacceptable, underscoring the seriousness with which Romanian authorities view the safety implications for civilian and mission-related air traffic over international waters near the Black Sea.
According to the agency involved, Russian pilots deliberately introduced turbulent air and created challenging control conditions for the Polish aircraft during the confrontation on May 5. The Polish plane reportedly lost altitude before regaining stability, a moment that heightened concerns about potential midair incidents and the broader safety of ongoing border-control operations in the region.
The Polish crew was able to restore level flight and execute a controlled landing at Mihail Kogalniceanu airport, a port of entry often used for operations related to the security mission and regional mobility. Authorities emphasized that the landing was completed safely and that further assessments are being conducted to prevent recurrence in future patrols and patrol routes across sensitive airspace. This incident has prompted ongoing cautions and reviews of standard operating procedures among all parties involved, with a focus on minimizing risk while preserving the mission’s humanitarian and border-management objectives. [Source: RMF24]