New Delhi: The threat of GPS wordUntil now seen mainly in the conflict areas of Western Asia, the planes is now affecting Indian Air Space Near the border of Pakistan too. Several airlines have reported interference and supplant cases of GPS while operating in and around Amritsar, Parliament was informed on Thursday. The interruptions impact Aircraft navigation systemshave been more frequent in the border regions of Amritssar and Jammu between November 2023 and February 2025. Minister of State for the Union for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told Lok Sabha on Thursday that a total of 465 interference incidents and GPS impersonation during this period during this period have been reported.
According to the Skybrary Aviation site, the falsification of GPS is the transmission of falsified satellite signals to deceive receptors of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), which makes them calculate the incorrect position, navigation and time data. These problems particularly affect the geographical areas surrounding conflict zones such as the Black Sea and the Middle East, adds the website.
Mohol said these incidents imply attempts to manipulate or block GPS signals, which could fool the navigation systems used by aircraft. The General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued a circular in November 2023, instructing airlines to inform such cases of interference. Since then, the Government has taken measures to address the problem, including the issuance of notices to aviators (Notam) in areas where GPS interruptions are frequent, said the minister.
In addition, airlines have been following standard operational procedures (SOP) to administer these challenges effectively, he added. To counteract such threats, the guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the European Union Security Agency (EASA) have been implemented. The Government also guarantees that land navigation systems remain operational, allowing pilots to change alternative methods in case of GPS interference, said the minister.
The Indian Airport Authority (AAI), responsible for managing air navigation services, has continually updated air traffic management systems to improve aviation safety. The DGCA circular as of November 2023 describes a detailed action plan for pilots, aircraft operators and air traffic controls to treat GPS related interruptions.
Last April also, when Eest Asia was very tense, “the levels of interference of GPS and impersonation of impersonation (they had) emerged in the Middle East, with large points of blackout/interference apparent interference in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, as well as Israel. Rutation of traffic through Egypt and Saudi in a transit of the Middle East (southern route) should wait ESO signatures “, an operation of the membership of the Middle East, a global route on the south of the route). The pilots, the flight dispatators, the programmers and the air traffic drivers, said the last August in a “special information session” due to the growing tension in the region.
Several pilots who operate towards the West say that the falsification and the GPS jam worsens day by day. “At the moment we cross the border of Iran-Pakistan, the beginning and the beginning of the impersonation.
“We inform En Ruta ATC about this and ask them to control the position of the aircraft on the radar. We are using the alternative DME-DME update that uses the last location of the plane to monitor its location,” they say multiple senior pilots. The airline crew is trained to deal with the interference and supplant of GPS. With multiple war zones and security theaters, this is becoming a real problem, especially when crossing international borders and conflict zones as an attempt to confuse the crew. Airlines exchange notes on this topic in real time.
