Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski has said the government might opt for another Falcon aircraft for the Prime Minister and other members of the Bulgarian government after an incident on Sunday.

In an interview for private national NOVA TV channel, Moskovski said repeated failures would lead to a replacement of the plane if the producer is unable to guarantee systemic technical failures can be addressed.

On Sunday, the aircraft with Prime Minister Boyko Borisov on board failed to reach the city of Plovdiv, southern Bulgaria, from Varna Airport in the northeast of the country.

The plane hovered over Varna during attempts to retract the landing gear after take-off. When this proved unsuccessful, it landed back at the same airport.

The PM was due to attend the opening ceremony of a new sports hall in Plovdiv.

This is the second similar incident in just months, the previous one having taken place in February.

Moskovski added the vehicle was to be taken "directly to the producer's factory in France so that a full check-up is made there".

"I am worried this failure happens quite often," he added.