Air India Express flight returns to Delhi mid-air due to suspected GPS interference; second disruption in three days

NEW DELHI: An Air India Express flight from Delhi to Jammu was forced to return to the capital on Monday after a technical issue, later identified as suspected GPS interference, was detected mid-air.Flight IX2564, operated by an Airbus A320, had taken off from Delhi at 11:04 am, slightly behind its scheduled departure time of 10:40 am, and was expected to land in Jammu at 12:05 pm. However, the flight turned around before reaching its destination and landed back in Delhi, according to flight tracking data from Flightradar24.Confirming the incident, an Air India Express spokesperson said, “Our Delhi–Jammu flight returned to Delhi as a precautionary measure, following a suspected GPS interference incident.

Subsequently, an alternative flight was organised to connect guests to Jammu. We regret the inconvenience caused,” as quoted by ANI.The airline also acknowledged that GPS signal interference has been reported by other operators while flying over certain sensitive regions.A replacement aircraft was arranged to ensure passengers reached Jammu with minimal further delay.This marks the second disruption in Air India Express operations in three days. On Saturday, June 21, flight IX1014 from Delhi to Patna was diverted to Varanasi due to adverse weather. The flight resumed its journey once conditions improved.“We regret the delay caused by circumstances beyond our control,” the airline said regarding the Patna-bound flight.