Mumbai | November 12, 2025 |SKY LINK TIMES
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed pilots, air traffic controllers (ATCs), and airlines to report any cases of GPS spoofing or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference within 10 minutes of detection.
The aviation regulator’s directive, issued through a circular on Tuesday, aims to strengthen flight safety and operational integrity amid rising cases of signal manipulation and navigation anomalies across Indian airspace.
> “Any pilot, ATC controller, or technical unit detecting abnormal GPS behaviour such as position anomalies, navigation errors, loss of GNSS signal integrity, or spoofed location data, shall initiate real-time reporting within 10 minutes of occurrence,” the DGCA stated.
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Spike in GPS Interference Around Delhi Airport
The DGCA said several instances of GPS interference were recently detected around Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi — one of the world’s busiest airports, handling more than 1,500 flight movements daily.
Officials confirmed that the regulator is investigating the source and pattern of these disruptions, with data analysis underway to assess the potential risk to flight operations.
The circular directs airlines and air traffic management units to log and share critical details, including the date, time, aircraft type, registration number, route, and coordinates of the affected area.
Stakeholders must also specify the type of interference — whether jamming, spoofing, signal loss, or integrity error — and the equipment affected, along with supporting materials like system logs, screenshots, or Flight Management System (FMS) data.
465 GPS Spoofing Incidents Reported in 15 Months
According to DGCA data, about 465 GPS interference and spoofing incidents were reported between November 2023 and February 2025, with most cases observed in border regions such as Amritsar and Jammu.
Officials noted that similar issues have been reported globally, particularly near conflict zones, where aircraft navigation systems experience signal jamming or location spoofing.
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Global Aviation Authorities Sound Alarm
Both the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have flagged growing global concerns over GNSS spoofing and jamming.
In September 2025, the European Commission said that Russia was suspected of jamming the GPS signal of the airplane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her visit to Bulgaria — a case that highlighted the rising threat of GPS manipulation to aviation security worldwide.
DGCA’s Proactive Response
By enforcing a 10-minute reporting rule, the DGCA seeks to build a real-time national alert and monitoring framework to quickly identify and mitigate spoofing or jamming threats before they compromise flight safety.
The circular reinforces India’s commitment to international aviation safety standards and ensures that pilots and ATCs respond promptly to navigation anomalies.
With air traffic steadily increasing post-pandemic and new satellite-based navigation systems becoming the norm, regulators worldwide are tightening rules to safeguard against digital interference in critical aviation systems.
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