Jamming Problems Worsen for European Airlines.
For some time, there has been a rise in the cases of jamming and spoofing in airliner navigation systems in the Nordic and Baltic regions. This has made airlines explore and introduce alternative methods that can avoid the usage of the Global Positioning System (GPS).
A Scandinavian airline reported instances of regular jamming happening not only in the Baltics and Scandinavia but also in the Eastern Mediterranean. Airlines have also noted increased cases of spoofing, which occurs when there is electronic interference in the navigational systems of an aircraft which makes the systems think it is in a different location than it is in reality.
Reuters reported that a flight which left London to reach the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius encountered some interference in their GPS which led it to being diverted to Warsaw, Poland
Barents Observer, a newspaper that covers the border areas between the Nordic countries and Russia had a report featuring Johan Lester, a pilot from an airline in Scandinavia who talked about how his flight departing from Oslo for the Norwegian town of Kirkenes also faced spoofing.
Lester also mentioned that while jamming and spoofing around such regions has been a cause of concern from quite some time, the airlines operating in the region have deployed alternative methods that do not use GPS, which is affected first in the event of spoofing or jamming.
Lester also mentioned how the threat of spoofing and jamming is considered for every flight heading towards East of Finnmark, which is the northernmost region of Norway. Such precautions are also being taken by airlines operating in eastern Mediterranean and flying to areas like Cyprus and Türkiye.
The incidence of flights experiencing jamming and spoofing has increased over the past year. To mitigate these disruptions and ensure passenger safety, new systems and procedures have been implemented. Avoiding the use of GPS and relying on traditional methods such as ILS (Instrument Landing System) and VOR (VHF Omnidirectional Range) can reduce the risk of jamming and spoofing. These traditional approaches are being adopted in regions with high jamming and spoofing risks.
