GPS spoofing near Delhi airport prompts probes, new safety procedures

Indian civil aviation regulators on Dec. 1, 2025 informed Parliament that some flights approaching Indira Gandhi International Airport experienced GPS spoofing or other global navigation satellite system interference while conducting GPS based landing procedures for Runway 10. The incidents prompted an immediate request from the Airports Authority of India for the Wireless Monitoring Organisation to investigate potential sources of interference, officials said.

Aircraft crews reportedly detected anomalies during precision approaches and reverted to alternate procedures that rely on conventional ground based navigational aids. Contingency protocols were activated and no flight movements were disrupted on runways that continued to use traditional radio navigation systems, according to the briefing. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation had previously issued standard operating procedures for real time reporting of GNSS interference around IGI, a measure that regulators said helped accelerate the response.

The episodes underline the vulnerability of satellite dependent approaches even at one of the country’s busiest airports. Precision approaches that depend on GPS and other GNSS signals allow aircraft to land with tighter lateral and vertical tolerances, increasing throughput and operational efficiency. That reliance also introduces a new class of operational risk when signals are degraded, blocked, or spoofed.

Authorities are pursuing parallel technical and security responses. The Airports Authority of India asked the Wireless Monitoring Organisation to search for the origin of the anomalies and to assess whether interference stems from malfunctioning transmitters, accidental local sources, or deliberate spoofing. At the same time, aviation regulators and airport security agencies are coordinating to ensure real time information flows between flight crews, air traffic control and technical monitoring units, minimizing the chance that degraded satellite signals will compromise safety.

Officials emphasized continued monitoring and rapid mitigation as essential to preserving the safety of precision approaches. Crews reverted to alternate procedures during affected approaches, demonstrating that fallback systems and pilot training remain vital safeguards. The DGCA's earlier standard operating procedures for reporting GNSS interference appear to have shortened detection and response intervals, regulators said.

The incidents add to growing concern worldwide about GNSS vulnerabilities. Aviation increasingly uses satellite navigation not only for approaches but for en route navigation and airport surface guidance. Regulators and industry are therefore under pressure to invest in resilient positioning, navigation and timing systems, augmented monitoring networks and better on board detection tools that can distinguish benign signal anomalies from intentional spoofing.

For passengers and airlines, the immediate reassurance is operational continuity, with no reported runway closures or flight disruptions linked to the GPS anomalies. For policymakers and security officials, the events will likely accelerate work on detection, attribution and mitigation capabilities, and on the integration of satellite resilience into the safety case for precision approach procedures at major airports.