India’s aviation regulator, the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA), has issued a sweeping safety directive requiring pilots, air traffic controllers (ATCs) and airlines to report any suspected cases of spoofing in the global positioning system (GPS) or interference in the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) within 10 minutes of detection. Between November 2023 and February 2025, about 465 incidents of GPS interference or spoofing have been reported.
The move follows multiple reports of GPS signal discrepancies around Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), one of the busiest in Asia, handling over 1,500 flight movements daily. These incidents mark the first recorded instances of GPS spoofing in Indian airspace, prompting heightened vigilance across the aviation sector.
GPS jamming simply blocks signals, but spoofing is more dangerous; it mimics genuine satellite data, tricking aircraft systems into displaying false positions.
In a circular released this week, the DGCA says, “Any pilot, ATC controller, or technical unit detecting abnormal GPS behaviour 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.”
Officials say the directive aims to strengthen flight safety, operational integrity and cybersecurity in the wake of growing global concerns about vulnerabilities in satellite-based navigation systems.
Under the new protocol, all pilots and ATC units must promptly log and share detailed information, including the date, time, aircraft type, registration, flight route, and precise coordinates of the affected area, through the regulator’s incident monitoring system.
They are also required to identify the nature of interference, whether jamming, spoofing, signal loss, or integrity error and specify which equipment was impacted. If available, corroborating material such as system logs, screenshots, or flight management system (FMS) data must be included to aid the investigation.
This rapid reporting framework would allow authorities to quickly assess potential threats, coordinate with security agencies, and issue alerts to nearby aircraft to prevent safety hazards.
According to DGCA data, about 465 incidents of GPS interference or spoofing have been reported between November 2023 and February 2025, mostly near India’s northern borders, including Amritsar and Jammu.
While none of these incidents has caused accidents, some aircraft experienced temporary navigation errors, forcing crews to switch to ground-based navigation aids. Aviation experts say such interference can cause serious operational risks, especially during landing and approach phases, when GPS data is critical for precision guidance.
Globally, both the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have warned of rising GNSS interference, particularly near conflict zones and border areas. In September, the European Commission accused Russia of jamming the GPS of a plane carrying Commission president Ursula von der Leyen during her visit to Bulgaria, an incident that underscored the geopolitical dimensions of satellite disruption.
In India, recent spoofing events detected near IGI Airport led to discrepancies in aircraft navigation data, triggering investigations by the DGCA and aviation security agencies. Officials confirmed that some flights experienced temporary errors in position readings, although safety was not compromised.
The national security advisor’s (NSA) office has launched a multi-agency probe to trace the origin of these spoofed signals and assess potential cybersecurity risks to aviation infrastructure. “The incidents appear to be localised but need detailed analysis to rule out deliberate interference,” a senior aviation official says.
Following the incidents, DGCA and Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) have accelerated upgrades to the instrument landing system (ILS) on the airport’s main runway to reduce dependence on satellite navigation for critical flight operations.
The heightened focus on navigation integrity comes close on the heels of a technical glitch in the ATC message system at Delhi Airport on 6th November and 7 November 2025 which led to delays and cancellations of 46 flights.
According to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the issue in the automatic message switching system (AMSS) was promptly addressed after an emergency review meeting chaired by civil aviation secretary Samir Kumar Sinha with senior AAI officials. The system has since been restored to normal functionality, though minor delays persist due to data backlog.
The regulator says both incidents, the ATC outage and the GPS spoofing alerts, underscore the need for robust monitoring and cyber resilience in India’s rapidly expanding aviation ecosystem.
DGCA has now begun compiling a national database of GNSS anomalies to map interference hotspots and strengthen preventive mechanisms. A set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and possible updates to notice to air missions (NOTAM) guidelines are expected soon.
By enforcing real-time reporting and rapid response protocols, DGCA aims to ensure that India’s skies remain secure, even as satellite navigation becomes increasingly central to modern aviation operations.
