Тraining Flights at Bulgarian Air Force Graf Ignatievo Base Suspended

The scheduled training flights on MIG-29 at air force’s Graf Ingatievo base were suspended on 24^th of October. The pilots said they felt unsafe to fly, the website of the Bulgarian aviation magazine Aero wrote.

“Air Policing” mission within the integrated NATO air defense system is going ahead uninterrupted. According to unconfirmed information the pilots reported this morning that they felt psychologically unsafe to fly.

The airbase declined to comment. The Ministry of Defense also does not confirm the pilots' refusal to fly on the MIG-29 aircrafts. The ministry said they were doing their best to resolve the Graf Ignatievo problem. Last week, it became clear that ten newly delivered fighter engines could not be used because of the lack of original protocols from the manufacturer. There is a shortage of engine lubricants. The defense ministry posted a tender for the supply of engine lubricant, with a deadline at the end of November for the submission of offers.

Atanas Zapryanov, Deputy Minister of Defens said that the insuffient flight hours of some pilots are due to the insufficient number of airplanes in airworthiness as this is the only condition provided there is fuel and pilots' desire to fly, to provide more operational aircrafts.

The Bulgarian Air Force currently has seven operational MiG-29 fighters. If the engines received from Russia go into use, the number of operational aircrafts can increase to 9 or 10, which is enough for the training of pilots and to increase their flight hours, he added.