WMO directed to step up probe into GPS spoofing reported by flights

New Delhi, Dec 4 The Wireless Monitoring Organisation (WMO) has been directed at a high-level meeting to mobilise more resources to identify the source of GPS spoofing reported by flights, based on approximate spoofing location details shared by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the Parliament was informed on Thursday.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told the Lok Sabha, in a written statement, that some flights reported Global Positioning System (GPS) spoofing in the vicinity of New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, while using GPS-based landing procedures, on approaching Runway 10. Contingency procedures were used for GPS-spoofed flights approaching the runway.

He said that the DGCA issued an advisory circular on November 24, addressing Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference in airspace. In addition, DGCA has also issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) dated November 10 for real-time reporting of GPS Spoofing/GNSS interference events around IGI airport.

The minister further stated that GPS spoofing-linked disruptions are a global phenomenon which were observed with increased frequency in geographical areas surrounding conflict zones.

Cybersecurity threats to the aviation sector are in the form of ransomware or malware. International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) identifies GNSS spoofing as a form of intentional Radio Frequency Interference (RFI).

ICAO GNSS Manual contains the mitigation plan detailing preventive and reactive measures, including frameworks for continuous threat monitoring, risk assessment, and the deployment of mitigation barriers. International Air Traffic Association (IATA) has also published advisories to airlines for guidance, the minister added.

Earlier, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu said that contingency procedures were used for GPS-spoofed flights approaching Runway 10. There were no effects on the movements of flights, on other runway ends having conventional navigational aids in operation.

Aircraft flying over Delhi have been experiencing "severe" GPS spoofing last month, causing false navigation data such as incorrect aircraft positions and misleading terrain warnings, which pose a danger to flight safety, according to pilots and air traffic control officials.

Such occurrences have been reported within a 60 nautical mile radius of Delhi. The disruptions often required manual intervention, with air traffic controllers providing direct navigation guidance to the cockpit crew.

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