Increase in jamming of Irish flights’ GPS systems blamed on Russia

Irish aviation officials and airlines say they have observed an increase in the jamming of aircraft’s GPS systems, a phenomenon European Union governments have blamed on Russia.

The practice sees radio frequencies used to stop aircraft locking on to the correct signal, or false GPS signals sent to create confusion. Though backup systems mean the jamming is not dangerous in most cases, it has caused inconvenience to airlines including Ryanair.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, EU airlines have reported thousands of incidents of on-board GPS systems being jammed or interfered with. This problem has worsened significantly in recent months to the extent that GPS systems are no longer considered reliable around parts of the Baltic and Scandinavian states. Planes are being forced to rely on a number of backup systems instead.

Although it is concentrated over northern and eastern Europe, the issue is also impacting Irish-registered flights.

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A spokesman for the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) said, along with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the International Civil Aviation Organisation, it has “observed an increase in the number of reported incidents involving the jamming and/or spoofing of global navigation satellite systems[GNSS], including GPS recently.”

He said the authority has issued guidance to air traffic controllers in Ireland to counter the threat. This guidance is intended to “mitigate against potential safety challenges of jamming/spoofing.”

The IAA said Ireland has legislation in place against the use of jamming or spoofing equipment.

According to a recent report, more than 2,300 Ryanair flights have reported incidents of GPS interference since last August.

A Ryanair spokeswoman told The Irish Times there has been “a rise in intermittent GPS interference which has affected all airlines” but that additional backup navigation systems are in place.

Aer Lingus did not respond to queries on the impact on its operations, although it is understood the airline has also reported GPS interference.

The IAA explained that in cases of “jamming”, radio frequencies are used to intentionally interfere with navigation signals.

“This interference prevents receivers from locking on to satellites signals and has the main effect of rendering the [GNSS] ineffective or degraded for users in the jammed area.”

In cases of “spoofing”, counterfeit satellite signals are used to deceive satellite receivers, “causing them to compute incorrect position, navigation and timing data”.

Aviation experts have stressed that in the vast majority of cases, GPS jamming does not impact aircraft safety due to the number of backup systems available.

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