Aircraft flying over Delhi have faced disruptions over the past week due to a series of “severe” Global Positioning System spoofing incidents, The Hindu reported on Friday.

GPS spoofing involves usually deliberate transmission of false GPS signals that mislead navigation systems.

Pilots and air traffic controllers reported receiving false navigation data, including incorrect aircraft positions and misleading terrain warnings, particularly within a 60-nautical-mile radius of the national capital, the newspaper said.

The disruptions have led to some aircraft needing manual guidance from air traffic controllers.

An unidentified pilot told The Hindu that such incidents are rare in Delhi, as GPS spoofing is usually reported near India’s border regions, particularly along the borders with Pakistan and Myanmar.

He told the newspaper that he encountered spoofing on all six days of his operations last week.

During one flight into Delhi, his cockpit systems even issued false terrain warnings, indicating obstacles that were not actually present, The Hindu reported.

The GPS spoofing is leading to congestion at a time when Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Airport is seeing a spurt in air traffic, The Times of India reported.

The congestion is leading to flight diversions and delays. On Tuesday night, five aircraft of IndiGo and two of Air India, among others, were diverted to Jaipur for this reason, the newspaper reported.

An unidentified official of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation told The Hindu that the regulatory body has launched an investigation after receiving reports from airlines and Air Traffic Control personnel.

In March, the Ministry of Civil Aviation told Parliament that between November 2023 and February, 465 cases of GPS interference and spoofing were reported near India’s borders, mainly around Amritsar and Jammu.

Globally, the International Air Transport Association has reported a sharp rise in GPS interference cases, with spoofing incidents increasing by 220% between 2021 and 2024.

The most frequent hotspots for such interference include areas near conflict zones like western Russia, northern Iraq and parts of South Asia, including India’s border areas, The Hindu reported.

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