The Indian government has officially confirmed incidents of GPS data manipulation, known as spoofing, affecting flights near the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi. Reports of similar spoofing and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference have also been received from several other major airports across the country.
Government Confirms Widespread Incidents
In a written statement presented in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, December 1, 2025, Civil Aviation Minister K K Rammohan Naidu informed Parliament about the concerning trend. The affected airports include Kolkata, Amritsar, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Chennai.
Minister Naidu stated that following a mandate by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in 2023, which made reporting such incidents compulsory, regular reports are now being filed from major Indian airports. He did not specify the exact time period for all incidents but noted that November saw a number of such events around the Delhi airport.
Safety Protocols and Source Investigation
In response to the threats, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has sought assistance from the Wireless Monitoring Organization (WMO), an agency under the Ministry of Communications' Wireless Planning & Coordination Wing. The WMO's role is to manage spectrum and ensure it is interference-free.
"During the high-level meeting on the issue, WMO was directed to mobilise more resources to identify the source of spoofing based on approximate spoofing location details shared by DGCA and AAI," Naidu said.
Detailing a specific incident in Delhi, the minister explained that some flights reported GPS spoofing while using GPS-based landing procedures for Runway 10 at IGIA. Contingency procedures were successfully employed, and there was no impact on flight movements on other runways equipped with conventional navigational aids.
Strengthening Aviation Cybersecurity and Response
To counter the rising threat, the DGCA issued a directive on November 10, requiring airlines, pilots, and air traffic controllers to report any GPS spoofing or GNSS interference incidents within 10 minutes of occurrence. This move aims to uphold flight safety and operational integrity.
The government emphasized that India maintains a Minimum Operating Network (MON) of ground-based navigation and surveillance systems as a global best practice backup. The country is also actively participating in international forums to stay updated on the latest countermeasures and technologies.
On the broader cybersecurity front, Naidu highlighted that the AAI is implementing advanced security solutions for its IT networks, adhering to guidelines from the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) and CERT-In, to defend against global threats like ransomware and malware.
