Several airlines operating aircraft in, around Amritsar report GPS interference: Govt

New Delhi: As many as 465 GPS interference and spoofing incidents have been reported in the border region, mostly in the Amritsar and Jammu areas, between November 2023 and February 2025, the government said on Thursday.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told the Lok Sabha that several airlines have reported that aircraft operating in and around Amritsar have experienced GPS/GNSS interference.

Generally, GPS (Global Positioning System)/ GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) spoofing and jamming refers to attempts to manipulate a user's navigation system by giving false signals.

Following a circular issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in 2023, GPS interference/spoofing incidents have been reported since November 2023.

"Around 465 incidents in the border region between November 2023 and February 2025 have been reported, mostly in Amritsar/Jammu region," Mohol said in a written reply.

In places where there are consistent reports of GPS interference, Notice to Airman (NOTAM) is issued to the aviators, the minister said, adding that various SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) are issued by respective airlines to deal with incidents of GPS/Spoofing interference.

According to the minister, the best practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and European Union Safety Agency (EASA) are being promulgated as DGCA circular/guidelines to the industry.

"Additionally, in accordance with the global best practices, the ground-based navigation infrastructure is retained so that the aviators can resume normal navigation, in case of experiencing GPS interference," he added.

The minister was replying to queries related to GPS interference, including about the number of GPS interference incidents affecting passenger aircraft in Indian airspace, particularly near border regions, in the last three years.

Meanwhile, the DGCA circular, issued in November 2023, provides comprehensive mitigation measures and action plans for aircraft operators, pilots, Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP) and air traffic controllers.

State-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) is the country's sole ANSP.

In a separate written reply, Mohol said AAI continuously modernises air navigation infrastructure and upgrades air traffic management systems to meet the growing demands of air travel.