What are the threats from GNSS spoofing? | Explained

The story so far: In early November, planes flying over Delhi encountered GNSS spoofing, or manipulated, Global Navigation Satellite System signals, catching pilots off guard as there was no advance warning of such activity. Such interventions are rare outside India’s border areas or conflict zones. The government has since ordered an investigation under the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), headed by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Also Read | Airlines report ‘serious’ GPS spoofing in Delhi for 7 days

Is it a recent event?

Airplanes flying over Delhi reported incidents of GNSS spoofing. These spurious signals result in inaccurate navigation data in the cockpit, including incorrect aircraft positions and terrain warnings. An Air India pilot told Hindu He said he encountered fraud during the six days he traveled in and out of Delhi in the first week of November. Another pilot said cockpit systems gave false terrain warnings, suggesting there were non-existent obstacles ahead. Other pilots also encountered similar warnings when taking off from the airport. These incidents were reported by aircraft within 60 nautical miles of Delhi. Malfunctions in navigation equipment often require manual intervention; controllers provide direct navigation guidance to the cockpit crew. GNSS spoofing, or spoofing satellite signals sent to fool airborne receivers such as enemy drones, is increasingly used in modern warfare and poses a growing threat to aircraft systems that rely on GNSS signals. This is a relatively new phenomenon that has been seen since 2023 in the conflict zones of western Asia, eastern Russia and India bordering Pakistan and Myanmar. But other than occasional GNSS jamming (blocking of GNSS signals) during VIP flight movements or Republic Day security protocols, such activity has not been documented in domestic metropolitan airspace before. However, this time, no notification (NOTAM) was issued to the airmen warning them of a military exercise, which could explain why these signals were encountered in Delhi.

After the media reported the incidents, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a stricter Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) requiring pilots and air traffic controllers to report these incidents within 10 minutes of their occurrence to ensure agencies can quickly recognize the source of false signals. The NSCS, chaired by Mr. Doval, set up an inquiry committee to investigate the matter. Authorities have rejected allegations that VIP movements ahead of the Bihar elections may have triggered these incidents and explained that security protocols during such operations include GNSS blocking and not the transmission of false signals.

Also Read | Frequent GPS interference, including ‘spoofing’, near India’s border with Pakistan and Myanmar

What is GPS spoofing?

Modern aircraft systems rely heavily on GNSS for accurate location, navigation and timing. When these signals are tampered with, they can affect many systems, including terrain and runway warning systems, automatic braking, surveillance, and communication links between pilots and air traffic control. GNSS spoofing does not immediately impede the security of an aircraft; because aircraft systems are built with various backups, including the Inertial Reference System, which is also used for navigation and continues to operate safely for up to five hours even if the primary system fails. But whether intentional or accidental, such interventions can threaten safety by reducing pilots’ awareness, producing false warnings, and increasing their workload. The problem is more difficult to manage because NOTAMs do not always specify affected areas, leaving teams unprepared. Even after leaving the affected area, some systems may not recover properly and may continue to provide false alerts or navigation errors.

GPS spoofing began to seriously impact civil aviation in September 2023, according to a 2024 report by the OPS Group (a community of nearly 8,000 volunteers, including pilots, flight attendants, and air traffic controllers who exchange new information about risks to aviation safety). Relatively few aircraft were affected in the first few months, but by January 2024 an average of 300 flights were being spoofed per day. By August 2024, this number reached approximately 1,500 flights per day. An analysis by OPS Group showed that a total of 41,000 flights experienced fraud in the one-month period between July 15 and August 15, 2024. In the report, the Delhi region was among the top 10 regions most exposed to fraud in the world after Cyprus, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Russia, Pakistan, Belarus and Lebanon. During this period, Cyprus, which ranked at the top, experienced 5,655 fraud incidents, while there were 316 fraud incidents in the Delhi region. According to government data, between November 2023 and February 2025, 465 incidents of GPS jamming and spoofing were reported in border areas, mainly in Amritsar and Jammu districts; This works out to an average of one incident per day.

The main actors currently committing GPS spoofing include military units targeting enemy drones in conflict zones or GPS-guided munitions and missiles. However, there are also allegations of malicious attempts to target civilian aircraft, particularly Russian ones.

Also Read | Several airlines operating aircraft in and around Amritsar reported GPS interference: Government

What happened to the EU president?

On September 1, the European Commission said the plane carrying its president, Ursula von der Leyen, encountered a GPS outage as it approached southern Bulgaria, possibly caused by Russian interference. It was reported that he landed safely at Plovdiv Airport using paper maps after the system malfunctioned. The EU described the incident as part of a pattern of “hostile actions” by Russia and vowed to strengthen its defense and satellite capabilities, but the Kremlin called the claim false.

On December 25, 2024, an Azerbaijan Airlines plane carrying 67 passengers from Baku to Grozny crashed in Kazakhstan after coming under fire from Russian air defenses. 38 people lost their lives in the incident. After the accident, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to the Azerbaijani president.

ANNOUNCED | Why was there a technical glitch at Delhi airport?

What solutions have been suggested?

Willie Walsh, Director General of International Air Transport Aviation (IATA), a global organization of more than 350 airlines, called on all parties to ensure the safety of civilian flights and aviation infrastructure, underlining that international law clearly prohibits targeting civilian aircraft or airports.

In September, International Air Transport Aviation (IATA) submitted a paper to the 42nd Session of the UN aviation safety watchdog, the International Civil Aviation Organization, in which it proposed a multi-pronged approach to respond to what it called “a persistent and growing risk to aviation safety.” This includes the development of a standardized reporting mechanism, strengthening cross-border cooperation and information sharing, and enforcement of national regulations on the sale, possession and use of jamming devices, and stricter national and international spectrum management. Other steps include the deployment of advanced detection systems, which encourages avionics manufacturers to proactively develop and deploy more robust GNSS receivers with advanced anti-jamming and anti-spoofing capabilities.

In India, recurring incidents of GNSS spoofing near major airports such as Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, coupled with limited transparency and delayed official communication, have raised security concerns. This hinders operational decisions and undermines flight crew and passengers’ confidence in the reliability and resilience of the aviation system.

It was published – 16 November 2025 02:14 IST