New DGCA directive: Pilots and ATCs must report GNSS anomalies within 10 minutes

Mumbai: India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has issued strict instructions to pilots, air traffic controllers (ATCs), and airlines to report any instances of GPS spoofing or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference within 10 minutes of detection.

The directive, aimed at safeguarding flight safety and operational integrity, was detailed in a circular released by the regulator.

“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,” the DGCA stated.

The move follows several cases of GPS interference recently detected around Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi, which handles over 1,500 flight movements daily.

All aviation stakeholders have been instructed to immediately log and share details such as the date, time, aircraft type, registration number, route, and coordinates of the affected area. They must also specify the type of interference, whether jamming, spoofing, signal loss, or integrity error, and identify the aircraft systems affected. Supporting evidence, such as system logs, screenshots, or Flight Management System (FMS) data, should be attached where possible.

According to official data, 465 incidents of GPS interference and spoofing were reported between November 2023 and February 2025, primarily in border regions including Amritsar and Jammu.

Several airlines have previously reported GPS-related disruptions while flying over or near international conflict zones. The DGCA is currently investigating the spoofing incidents at Delhi’s IGI Airport and conducting a detailed data analysis to determine the extent and pattern of interference.

Globally, aviation bodies such as the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have expressed concern over the growing threat of GNSS spoofing and jamming.

In September, the European Commission revealed that Russia was suspected of jamming the GPS signal of an aircraft carrying Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her visit to Bulgaria.

IANS