Airlines report “severe” spoofing over Delhi for seven days, govt officials say they are enquiring

Aircraft carrying airline passengers have been experiencing “severe” GPS spoofing over Delhi for the past week, causing false navigation data such as incorrect aircraft positions and misleading terrain warnings, according to pilots and air traffic control sources.

“The DGCA is seized of the matter,” a top government official said, adding that they were enquiring into the incidents.

Such incidents have been reported within a 60‑nautical‑mile radius of Delhi over the past week, according to an air traffic controller. Another ATC official said the disruptions often required manual intervention, with controllers providing direct navigation guidance to cockpit crew.

A pilot with a leading airline said he had encountered GPS spoofing on all six days he operated flights last week. During one approach to Delhi airport, his cockpit systems even issued a false terrain warning, suggesting obstacles ahead where none existed. Others encountered a similar warning while taking off from the airport. This has also caused flight delays at the busy airport.

Another pilot said that false warnings were being experienced all the way upto the parking bays until the system was recycled.

The sources explained that while it was common to experience GPS spoofing over India’s border with Pakistan, such occurrences over Delhi were unusual. There was neither any advisory alerting pilots and ATCOs to military exercise in the vicinity of Delhi requiring them to exercise caution.

What is spoofing?

Spoofing is a type of cyberattack that transmits false GPS signals to mislead navigation systems. It has been observed in conflict zones, where it is often used to disrupt or disable drones deployed in modern warfare.

Instances of GPS interference have been on the rise since 2023, with India’s border with Pakistan and Myanmar emerging as the top locations globally for such incidents.

In a November 2023 advisory, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directed airlines to establish standard operating procedures and submit bi‑monthly reports on GPS spoofing incidents. The Indian government has also raised this matter with UN’s aviation safety watchdog International Civil Aviation Organisation.

GPS spoofing in itself doesn’t hamper the safety of an aircraft, as aircraft systems are built with several redundancies, including the Inertial Reference System that’s also used for navigation, which continue to operate safely for up to five hours even if a primary system fails. Although pilots do not receive a direct alert in the cockpit during spoofing, the crew can identify such events from inconsistent or conflicting data displayed across their instruments.