Flights approaching Delhi and other critical hubs have reported frequent incidents of GNSS interference and signal manipulation
The Union government has formally acknowledged widespread Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference and GPS spoofing affecting aircraft operations near several major Indian airports over the past year.
The confirmation came from Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu in a written response to the Rajya Sabha, detailing the extent of the disruptions and the enhanced safety protocols introduced to combat the rogue signals.
Following a directive issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in November 2023, which made mandatory the reporting of any suspected GPS jamming or spoofing, authorities have received continuous reports from key aviation centres, including Kolkata, Amritsar, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai.
Responding to a query from MP S Niranjan Reddy, the Minister specified serious incidents near Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). He confirmed that some aircraft attempting satellite-based landings on Runway 10 reported GPS spoofing. Pilots were forced to abandon the satellite-guided approach and switch to contingency procedures.
Crucially, Naidu noted that flight operations on other runways, which rely on traditional ground-based navigational systems, were unaffected, underscoring the resilience of legacy infrastructure during electronic compromise.
To formalise the response, the DGCA issued a specific advisory in November 2023, which was followed by a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on 10 November 2025, focused specifically on real-time reporting of spoofing around IGIA. This SOP now mandates immediate alerts from both pilots and air traffic controllers upon detecting unusual GPS activity.
The ministry affirmed that aviation safety is not solely reliant on satellite signals. India maintains a Minimum Operating Network (MON), a nationwide grid of established ground-based navigation and surveillance systems, designed to ensure aircraft can operate safely even when satellite navigation is compromised.
To locate the origin of the interference signals, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has enlisted the expertise of the Wireless Monitoring Organisation (WMO). Following a high-level review, the WMO has been instructed to deploy additional tracing teams and utilise approximate location data provided by DGCA and AAI to pinpoint the source.
Beyond navigational disruption, the Minister also flagged a growing array of broader cybersecurity threats, including ransomware and malware, targeting critical aviation networks. As a result, the AAI is implementing advanced cyber protections across its systems, aligning with national security guidelines set by the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) and CERT-In.