Delhi Flights Disrupted by GPS Spoofing; Pakistan Suspected

Aviation authorities in India are on high alert following a series of intense GPS spoofing incidents impacting flights in and around Delhi, with Pakistan being the primary suspect. Over the last week, commercial aircraft have been fed false navigation data, leading to serious safety concerns. Pilots have reported that navigation systems within a nearly 60-nautical-mile radius of Delhi have shown incorrect positions, triggering potentially dangerous false alerts, including terrain proximity warnings in clear airspace. These sophisticated disruptions have not only complicated flight operations, forcing crews to seek manual guidance from air traffic control during approaches and departures, but have also contributed to significant delays at Delhi Airport. While instances of GPS interference are documented near India’s western frontier, the scale and location of this recent activity over the capital are unprecedented. This raises questions about potential malicious intent, especially as no official advisories have been issued to explain the interference. Aviation safety bodies have previously highlighted GPS spoofing as a growing global concern, noting its potential to create confusion and increase workload in the cockpit, even though multiple backup navigation systems typically prevent immediate catastrophic failures. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is actively investigating, collecting all relevant flight and ATC data to understand the nature and source of these electronic disturbances.