DGCA Directs Real-Time Reporting of GPS Spoofing to Ensure Flight Safety

Mumbai, Nov 2025 : India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has issued a directive instructing pilots, air traffic controllers (ATCs), and airlines to report GPS spoofing and other Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interferences within 10 minutes of detection.

The move is aimed at safeguarding flight operations and maintaining navigational integrity. According to the DGCA circular, “Any pilot, ATC, or technical unit detecting abnormal GPS behavior – such as position anomalies, navigation errors, loss of GNSS signal integrity, or spoofed location data – shall initiate real-time reporting within 10 minutes of occurrence.”

The directive follows multiple instances of GPS interference near Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in Delhi, which handles over 1,500 daily flight movements. Authorities have asked all stakeholders to provide detailed reports including date, time, aircraft type, registration, route, and coordinates of the affected area.

The circular also emphasizes specifying the type of interference—jamming, spoofing, signal loss, or integrity error—and identifying the impacted aircraft equipment. Supporting evidence, such as system logs, screenshots, or Flight Management System (FMS) data, should be submitted whenever possible.

Between November 2023 and February 2025, around 465 GPS interference and spoofing incidents were reported in India, mainly near border regions including Amritsar and Jammu. Airlines have globally flagged GPS signal issues while flying over or near conflict zones. The DGCA is currently investigating the IGI Airport incidents, analyzing data to determine the scope and pattern of interference.

On the international front, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have both raised concerns over GNSS spoofing and jamming. In a recent incident in September, the European Commission reported suspected GPS jamming on the aircraft carrying Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her visit to Bulgaria, reportedly attributed to Russian interference.

With this directive, the DGCA seeks to enhance real-time monitoring and strengthen aviation safety protocols, ensuring that Indian airspace remains secure amid rising global concerns over satellite navigation vulnerabilities.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)