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Incidents of Global Positioning System (GPS) data manipulation, or GPS spoofing, affecting flights were reported in the vicinity of the Delhi airport, and reports of spoofing and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference are also being received from other Indian airports including Kolkata, Amritsar, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Chennai, the government informed the Parliament on Monday.
In a written statement in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Civil Aviation Minister K K Rammohan Naidu said that apart from standard operating procedures issued by sector regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on real-time reporting of such incidents around the Delhi airport, Airports Authority of India (AAI) has sought help from the Wireless Monitoring Organization (WMO) to “possibly identify the source of interference/spoofing”.
Spoofing involves transmitting counterfeit signals to deceive location signals on the aircraft, which could lead to computation of incorrect position, timing, and navigation data. Interference or jamming usually involves overpowering satellite signals with strong radio interference. Over the years, such incidents–which could pose a threat to aviation safety–have been on the rise, particularly in regions around conflict zones.
The WMO is an agency in the Wireless Planning & Coordination (WPC) Wing of the Ministry of Communications. It is involved in spectrum management and is the nodal agency for providing interference-free spectrum. The AAI oversees civil air navigation services in the Indian airspace.
Naidu did not elaborate on the time period during which these incidents occurred. GPS and GNSS spoofing and interference incidents have been on the rise in recent months in India, according to aviation sector insiders. November particularly saw a number of such incidents around the Delhi airport, it is learnt. Delhi houses India’s largest airport—the Indira Gandhi International Airport—that has four runways.
“Some flights reported GPS spoofing in the vicinity of IGIA, New Delhi while using GPS based landing procedures, while approaching on RWY 10 (Runway 10). Contingency procedures were used for GPS spoofed flights approaching to RWY 10. There were no effects on movements of flights, on other runway ends having conventional navigational aids being operational,” Naidu informed the Upper House.
“During the high-level meeting (on the issue), WMO was directed to mobilise more resources to identify the source of spoofing based on approximate spoofing location details shared by DGCA and AAI,” Naidu said.
On spoofing and interference incidents at other Indian airports, Naidu said that after DGCA made it mandatory for such incidents to be reported in 2023, regular reports are being received from major airports in India.
“GNSS Interference Reports are being received from Kolkata, Amritsar, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai airports,” the minister said.
Amid recent occurrences of GPS spoofing and GNSS interference around the Delhi airport, the DGCA on November 10 asked airlines, pilots, and air traffic controllers to report such incidents within 10 minutes of their occurrence “to maintain flight safety and operational integrity”.
“Minimum Operating Network (MON) consisting of Conventional (ground-based) Navigation and Surveillance Infrastructure are retained in accordance with global best practices. India is participating in global platforms to keep itself abreast of the latest methodology & technology for timely implementation of the same,” Naidu said Monday.
The minister added that global cybersecurity threats to the aviation sector are in the form of ransomware and malware, and the AAI is implementing advanced cyber security solutions for IT networks and infrastructure to enhance cyber security against global threats.
“These actions have been taken in accordance with the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) and Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) guidelines. Cyber security is ensured by continuous upgradation. As the nature and type of the threat changes, new protective measures are being taken,” Naidu said.
