NEW DELHI, India — Airlines reported 623 incidents of GPS interference in airspace around Delhi during January and February this year, the government told Parliament on Thursday.
The incidents are part of a broader pattern of navigation interference reported over the past two years. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha that airlines logged 2,354 cases of GPS interference between November 2023 and December 2025.
India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, has issued guidance to address the problem. Mohol said the agency released an advisory circular on November 24, 2023, aimed at tackling Global Navigation Satellite System interference in airspace. It later issued a standard operating procedure on November 10, 2025, requiring real-time reporting of GPS spoofing and GNSS interference events around Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Authorities have also taken steps to investigate the source of the disruptions. Mohol said the Airports Authority of India has regularly informed the Wireless Monitoring Organisation about incidents of GPS interference or spoofing so they can be examined.
According to the government, GPS spoofing-related disruptions are being seen worldwide and have become more common in regions near conflict zones.
Cybersecurity threats in aviation can include ransomware and malware attacks. The International Civil Aviation Organisation classifies GNSS spoofing as a form of intentional radio frequency interference that can disrupt navigation systems.
The ICAO’s GNSS manual outlines mitigation strategies that include preventive and reactive measures, continuous threat monitoring, risk assessment and the deployment of safeguards. The International Air Transport Association has also issued advisories to airlines on handling such disruptions.
Earlier, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said contingency procedures were used for flights approaching Runway 10 at Delhi’s airport when GPS spoofing incidents were detected. He said flight operations were not affected because other runway approaches rely on conventional navigational aids.
Pilots and air traffic control officials say GPS spoofing can generate false navigation data, including incorrect aircraft positioning and misleading terrain warnings, creating potential safety risks.
Most of the reported incidents occurred within a 60-nautical-mile radius of Delhi. In many cases, air traffic controllers had to guide aircraft manually by providing direct navigation instructions to flight crews. (Source: IANS)
