India Flags Rising GPS Spoofing Threats at Major Airports, Launches Source Hunt

Indian aviation authorities have reported multiple cases of GPS spoofing and GNSS interference affecting flight operations near major airports, including Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, and Amritsar. Civil Aviation Minister K K Rammohan Naidu informed Parliament that several flights approaching Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport recently encountered manipulated GPS data, particularly during GPS-based landing procedures on Runway 10. Although contingency protocols ensured safe operations, such incidents have raised concerns over growing threats to aviation navigation systems.

To address the issue, the Airports Authority of India has sought assistance from the Wireless Monitoring Organization (WMO), the Communications Ministry’s spectrum-monitoring agency, to help trace the sources of interference and spoofing. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also made immediate reporting mandatory, requiring airlines, pilots, and ATC personnel to notify any such event within 10 minutes to safeguard flight operations. As reports increased in recent months—especially around Delhi—high-level meetings have directed the WMO to mobilize additional resources for precise detection.

The government said India continues to retain conventional navigation systems as part of a Minimum Operating Network, ensuring aircraft can rely on ground-based aids in case of satellite-signal disruption. Alongside spoofing concerns, the aviation sector is also facing global cyber threats such as ransomware and malware. To strengthen its defenses, the AAI is upgrading cybersecurity systems in line with guidelines from NCIIPC and CERT-In, ensuring continuous enhancements as threat patterns evolve.

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