Airlines such as British Airways, Ryanair and easyJet are among those affected.
According to the Financial Times, thousands of flights in the UK have been subject to “extremely dangerous” interference, suspected to be caused by Russia. sun. The electronic attack affected satellite navigation (satnav), making it difficult for aircraft to navigate their routes. The outlet further stated that pilots also have difficulty telling colleagues where they are in the sky. Sometimes things get so weird that the aircraft has to turn and dive to avoid “obstacles” that don’t actually exist.
sun It said that as of the end of March, 2,309 Ryanair flights and 1,368 Wizz Air aircraft had experienced satellite navigation problems in the Baltic Sea region.
British Airways, Jet2 and easyJet flights are also affected.
Jamming interrupts satellite signals, including GPS, from reaching aircraft and fools pilots into thinking they are not somewhere.
Luc Tytgat, head of EASA, told The Sun: “We have seen a sharp increase in attacks on these systems, which poses a security risk.”
The outlet said suspected Russian attacks had increased from less than 50 per week last year to more than 350 per week last month.
“If any positioning system, such as GPS, fails to function properly, the crew will switch to a backup system,” Ryanair said.
EasyJet says it has procedures in place to mitigate GPS issues.
However, Glenn Bradley of the UK Civil Aviation Authority said flying was still the safest way to travel.
“GPS interference does not directly affect the aircraft’s navigation, and while this is a known issue, it does not mean that the aircraft was intentionally interfered with,” he said in a statement.
The statement further said: “While operators have implemented mitigation measures to ensure continued safe operations, we are working closely with other aviation regulators, airlines and aircraft manufacturers to contain and mitigate any risks arising from disruptions and continue to monitor global event.”
Last month, Russia was believed to have interfered with satellite signals on a plane carrying British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps returning to the UK from Poland.
Reuters cited government sources and journalists as saying that GPS signals were disrupted for about 30 minutes as the plane flew near the Russian Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad.
