GPS spoofing reported near Delhi IGI; Government confirms similar interference across major airports — here's what we know

India’s Civil Aviation Ministry has confirmed multiple incidents of GPS spoofing and GNSS interference around some of the country’s busiest airports, acknowledging for the first time in Parliament that aircraft approaching Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) experienced misleading satellite-navigation signals while on approach to Runway 10. The disclosure was made in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, where the Ministry of Civil Aviation detailed recent incidents, the regulatory response, and the wider risks facing the country’s aviation systems.

Flights approaching IGI reported false GPS positions

In its written reply, the Government confirmed that several flights on approach to Runway 10 at Delhi IGI reported receiving incorrect GPS location data while flying GPS-based landing procedures. The moment the interference was detected, contingency procedures were activated.

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Officials clarified that no flight operations were disrupted, as other runway ends at IGI continued to rely on fully functional ground-based navigational aids.

DGCA issues SOP for real-time reporting

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said it has already taken several steps to track and reduce the risk of GPS spoofing:

• An Advisory Circular on GNSS interference was issued on 24 November 2023.
• A new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for real-time reporting of GPS spoofing events around IGI was brought into force on 10 November 2025.

Airlines have been instructed to report all anomalies immediately so that any pattern of interference can be mapped and verified.

AAI calls in Wireless Monitoring Organisation

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has asked the Wireless Monitoring Organisation (WMO) to help identify the source of the spoofing signals.

A high-level meeting concluded that WMO should deploy additional equipment and manpower to trace signal origins using approximate location data shared by AAI and DGCA.

Spoofing not limited to Delhi — several major airports affected

Since DGCA made reporting mandatory in late 2023, GPS interference has also been detected at:

• Kolkata
• Mumbai
• Amritsar
• Hyderabad
• Bengaluru
• Chennai

Officials said the rise in reporting reflects both increased monitoring and growing attempts at signal manipulation near high-density airspaces.

MON keeps navigation safe despite disruptions

Despite the spike in interference events, the Government stressed that India’s Minimum Operating Network (MON) — a network of conventional ground-based navigational aids — ensures safe aircraft guidance even when satellite signals are compromised.

The MON framework mirrors global best practice and ensures operational continuity in the event of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) failure.

Aviation cybersecurity flagged as a major concern

The Government acknowledged that cybersecurity threats to aviation are intensifying, with malware, ransomware and navigation-related interference posing real risks.

To counter this, AAI has upgraded cyber defences across its IT systems in line with guidelines from:

• CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team)
• NCIIPC (National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre)