INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday issued an advisory to pilots, airlines and air traffic control officials on
handling Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal interference.Among other measures, airlines have been asked to report actual or
recurrent training, and most importantly, conduct a safety risk assessment to learn of the risks and hazards that may occur due to loss of
on-board GNSS-based navigation systems.In the past few months, airline and charter jets flying near conflict zones in the Middle East and
parts of central Europe have been increasingly reporting navigation problems caused due to spoofing or jamming of GNSS signals
Air India and IndiGo operate flights over some of these regions
aircraft became targets of GNSS/GPS spoofing, particularly over Iran airspace
On October 4, the DGCA announced a committee for monitoring GNSS spoofing in Indian airspace
The DGCA advisory is based on recommendations given by the committee
Vikram Dev Dutt, director general of civil aviation.It states that airlines should understand the potential impact of GNSS interference on
their aircraft fleet, and they should coordinate with aircraft manufacturers to obtain their recommendations
Airlines have been asked to develop contingency procedures to mitigate GNSS interference on aircraft, remain updated by studying various
circulars issued by different aviation authorities and provide timely briefing to pilots on the latest information on GNSS interference,
such as affected areas and air routes, potential impact and reporting obligations
The advisory has also asked the Airports Authority of India,to carry out a risk assessment and prepare an SOP.
