The government has finally confirmed that seven major Indian airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru, faced coordinated cyberattacks that involved GPS spoofing.
GPS spoofing refers to manipulating aircraft navigation by transmitting false coordinates, posing a serious risk to flight safety.
This incident underscores how digital threats are escalating for the aviation sector. The information was confirmed by Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu in Parliament.
He said that multiple flights on GPS-based landing routes reported spoofed navigation signals, especially near Delhi’s IGI Airport. The breach has placed critical aviation infrastructure on high alert, revealing how cyber risks can silently penetrate even the most fortified systems.
Initially, it was considered a cyber incident caused by a technical fault in the AMSS messaging system. What made matters worse is the attack coincided with a global disruption affecting Airbus A320 aircraft due to a mandatory software fix.
Now, aviation and cybersecurity agencies are deploying enhanced defence measures as cyberattacks continue to introduce new, high-impact threats to airlines and airports nationwide.
Why Prevention is Cheaper than Reaction
Considering the severe consequences of such attacks, preventing GPS spoofing is crucial for airlines because spoofing manipulates navigation signals, causing aircraft to believe they are in incorrect locations or altitudes.
This can lead to safety risks like route deviations and false terrain alerts. Spoofing also disrupts operations, causing delays and diversions, especially when several major city airports are targeted simultaneously. This increases the cost of operations.
Cyberattacks involving GPS spoofing have disrupted hundreds of flights in major cities, impacting airline schedules and reputation.
Investing in spoofing detection, multi-GNSS verification, cryptographic authentication, and redundant navigation systems helps airlines reduce risks, minimize costly disruptions, and maintain safety in a highly interconnected network.
