India's busiest airport, Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI), has been in turmoil due to suspected GPS spoofing incidents. Initially common in conflict zones or near the sensitive India-Pakistan border, these disruptions have now surfaced at Delhi Airport, leading to diverted flights and numerous delays.
On Friday, technical issues in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system affected around 800 flights, impacting airports across North India. Sources revealed that airlines canceled at least 20 flights. Airlines such as Indigo, Air India, Air India Express, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air reported delays due to disruptions in the Delhi Airport's ATC system.
This follows recent GPS spoofing incidents, making Delhi Airport the second highest in flight disturbances globally. At least seven flights had to be redirected to nearby airports like Jaipur and Lucknow.
What is GPS Spoofing and Why is it Threatening?
GPS spoofing is a type of cyber-attack that deceives a device or aircraft with fake satellite signals. This causes the device to show an incorrect location. Unlike GPS jamming, where signals are blocked, spoofing sends counterfeit signals to mislead aircraft.
For instance, a plane flying over Delhi may show its position over Chandigarh on its navigation system, resulting in complete data chaos.
Reports indicate that the Navigation Integrity Category value, measuring positioning accuracy, dropped from a standard level of 8 to 0. Pilots reported these incidents within a 60 nautical mile (approximately 110 kilometers) radius of Delhi.
The situation at Delhi Airport has become more critical as the Instrument Landing System (ILS) on the main runway, essential for guiding through dense fog, is currently under upgrade. The absence of ILS prompts pilots to rely on satellite-dependent technology, making them more prone to spoofing.
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DGCA Launches Investigation
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has acknowledged these GPS spoofing incidents and initiated an investigation. Previously disclosed information in the Lok Sabha reported 465 GPS spoofing incidents between November 2023 and February 2025 in the India-Pakistan border area, primarily near Amritsar and Jammu.
According to a report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), there were 430,000 GPS jamming and spoofing cases in conflict zones in 2024, a 62% increase from 2023.
Past Incidents
Last year, an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft crashed in Kazakhstan in December, killing 38 people. It is widely believed that the Russian anti-aircraft system mistakenly targeted the aircraft, which was operating in an area affected by GPS jamming and spoofing.
In March 2025, an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft carrying relief material to earthquake-stricken Myanmar under Operation Brahma fell victim to GPS spoofing. It is suspected that Chinese-instigated systems caused the incident. According to the GPSjam portal, the India-Pakistan and India-Myanmar borders rank among the top five regions, where over 10% of aircraft reported navigation accuracy issues.
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800 Flights Delayed, Thousands of Passengers Distressed... Latest Update on ATC System Fault at Delhi Airport
The report also mentions that the GPS jammers deployed along the India-Pakistan border, intended to intercept Pakistani military aircraft, also trouble aircraft flying within India, particularly when passing over border-adjacent cities.
