On March 7, 2026, during a security check in the airport area, an amateur photographer was found to be taking pictures of airplane takeoffs and landings. After the check, it was confirmed that he did not have a drone. After the check, the photographer remained in place and continued to take pictures, since the activity he was performing did not constitute a violation. This is stated in a statement by a group of Aviation Photographers, part of the spotter community in Sofia, quoted by Dariknews.bg
We recall that on Saturday, March 7, the airspace over Sofia Airport was closed for a short time, and two flights were redirected to land at other airports in our country.
The press center of "Vasil Levski" Airport announced that the surveillance systems at Sofia Airport had detected a drone.
The protection procedure was immediately activated and all necessary institutions were informed, including the Air Traffic Management, the Ministry of Interior, “Border Police“, the airport said.
According to NOVA sources, a report was filed with the Ministry of Interior about a person taking pictures with a drone on the territory of the airport. According to unofficial information, the man is an employee of an airline operating at the airport. The man, who is 40 years old, explained that he is an amateur photographer and likes to photograph planes taking off and landing. He gave explanations to the Ministry of Interior and was released.
The information that the photographer owned a drone and voluntarily handed it over to the authorities is not true. No drone was found during the inspection and none was handed over to the law enforcement agencies, the spotting community in Sofia stated.
According to them, filming planes from public places outside the secured perimeter of airports is not illegal and is a widespread practice and hobby all over the world. Planes are photographed by a wide range of people - ordinary citizens who travel with them, children and young people to professional photographers and journalists.
"Aviation photography (also called plane spotting) has existed in Bulgaria for decades. Some of the plane spotters in Sofia have been involved in aerial photography for more than 20 years and are well aware of the security rules around the airport infrastructure and strictly follow them. In addition, the shooting around Sofia Airport is also carried out in coordination with the airport operator, as over the years the airport itself has demonstrated a positive attitude towards aerial photography and the spotter community, and has stimulated their activity," the statement said.
Since 2007, the aviation photography community has been cooperating with the security services through established channels, and when irregularities are noticed, signals are promptly submitted to the responsible institutions, the aviation photographers noted.
"We categorically reject attempts to suggest and impute guilt, as well as to accuse aviation photographers of the illegal use of drones, as well as suggestions that the filming of aircraft itself is an illegal activity. Airports all over the world are “no fly zones” - zones prohibited for drones, and the spotter community has always respected these rules. We understand from media publications that there was a report of a drone to the Ministry of Interior, but it was not from a photographer from the spotter community.
We remain open to dialogue with the media and institutions, so that such misunderstandings can be avoided and the aviation photography community can continue to actively contribute to the safety of airports in Bulgaria,” the position of the spotter community in Sofia concludes.