India has issued a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) warning of possible GPS signal interference or loss along key air traffic routes near Mumbai. The alert, shared by geo-intelligence researcher Damien Symon from Intel Lab on November 13 via social media, is valid from November 13 to 17. Such alerts serve as cautionary measures for pilots and airlines to remain vigilant about navigation and communication disruptions that could impact flight safety. The notification has drawn attention due to its timing, following several reports of navigation issues across major Indian airports.
The alert follows the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) recent advisory on November 11, directing airlines, pilots, and air traffic controllers to report any incidents of GPS spoofing within ten minutes of occurrence. This order came after multiple cases of GPS interference were detected around Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) — India’s busiest airport, handling over 1,500 daily flights. The DGCA has initiated measures to establish a real-time monitoring system to promptly identify and respond to any GPS spoofing or interference events that may threaten aviation operations.
Earlier, on November 6, operations at IGI Airport were severely disrupted after a major technical glitch affected the central Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. The failure of the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), responsible for managing the flight planning process, persisted for more than 15 hours. The malfunction caused delays to over 800 flights and led to the cancellation of nearly 100 others, stranding hundreds of passengers. According to the civil aviation ministry, the system was fully restored to automatic mode by the afternoon of November 8, and flight operations resumed without further cancellations.