Croatian Rafale escorts Finnair flight to Italian border following bomb threat alert

A Croatian Rafale fighter jet intercepted an Airbus A320 passenger aircraft operated by Finnish airline Finnair at 8:41 yesterday, in the area between Jastrebarsko and Karlovac, as part of efforts to monitor and protect the country's airspace.

The interception was carried out following a report of a possible threat, namely a suspected "bomb on board" situation, indicating the possible presence of an explosive device on the aircraft, CE Report informs via the Ministry of Defense of Croatia's official website.

The Finnair Airbus A320, operating a flight from Helsinki to Rome, entered Croatian airspace at 8:34 in the area between Čakovec and Varaždin, continuing its journey towards Istria and Italy. Following the issuance of an operational order and the fighter jet's take-off from its base, the Croatian Rafale intercepted the passenger aircraft at 8:41 in the area between Jastrebarsko and Karlovac.

Following the interception, the Croatian Rafale escorted the Airbus A320 to the Italian border, where the aircraft was handed over to the Italian Air Force's quick reaction alert forces.

The air operation was launched following an order from NATO's Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) in Torrejón, Spain.

The Finnair aircraft left Croatian airspace at 8:54.

This was the second successful interception carried out this year. It should be recalled that a Croatian Rafale multirole fighter jet recently intercepted a Maltese Boeing passenger aircraft that had also been designated as a possible threat, as part of an Air Policing mission to monitor and protect Croatian airspace.

This latest operation to protect Croatian airspace once again demonstrated the high level of training and rapid response capabilities of Croatian Rafale fighter pilots, as well as the capabilities of these multirole combat aircraft.

It should be recalled that, since 1 January 2026, the Croatian Air Force has independently conducted surveillance and protection of the airspace of the Republic of Croatia using Rafale multirole fighter jets, as part of NATO's Integrated Air and Missile Defence System (NATINAMDS).

Photo Ministry of Defense of Croatia