Croatian Rafale fighter jet intercepts Boeing passenger plane flagged as potential threat

A Croatian Air Force Rafale fighter jet intercepted a Maltese passenger aircraft over Croatia on Tuesday after the civilian plane was flagged as a potential threat by NATO air command.

According to the Croatian Ministry of Defence, the interception took place as part of Croatia’s air policing mission to monitor and protect the country’s airspace.

The Maltese-registered Boeing aircraft was flying from Greece to Germany when it was designated a possible threat by NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) in Torrejón, Spain.

Information from Italy’s Command Reporting Centre indicated that the aircraft was transmitting transponder code 7500, which signals an aircraft hijacking.

Following an order from CAOC Torrejón, a Croatian Rafale fighter jet was scrambled to identify the aircraft visually.

The fighter jet intercepted the passenger plane at 11:02 on Tuesday over the Korenica area in central Croatia. The Croatian pilot established radio contact with the aircraft and carried out further air patrol activity between Rijeka and Delnice.

The Rafale subsequently escorted the Maltese aircraft out of Croatian airspace. The passenger plane entered Slovenian airspace at 11:20.

Croatian authorities coordinated response

During the operation, Croatian Deputy Prime Ministers and ministers Ivan Anušić, Tomo Medved, Davor Božinović and Oleg Butković coordinated with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and the Croatian Air Force, the Ministry of Defence said.

The ministry highlighted the readiness of Croatian Rafale pilots and the aircraft’s capabilities in responding to potential threats to national airspace.

The incident also demonstrated Croatia’s ability to conduct air policing independently, according to the ministry.

Croatia’s Rafale air policing mission

Croatia has been responsible for monitoring and protecting its own airspace using Rafale multirole fighter aircraft since 1 January 2026.

The mission operates within NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence System (NATINAMDS), which brings together allied capabilities to help monitor and protect NATO airspace.

The Rafale fleet forms a central part of Croatia’s air defence capabilities, allowing the country to respond to potential airspace incidents while contributing to the wider NATO air defence framework.

The Ministry of Defence did not state whether the transponder code was confirmed to indicate an actual hijacking, or provide further details about the circumstances that led to the aircraft being flagged as a potential threat.