India’s aviation sector is on high alert after the government confirmed GPS spoofing attacks at seven major airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Amritsar, and Chennai.

Flights approaching these airports reported receiving false GPS signals during critical landing phases—most notably near Runway 10 at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, the nation’s busiest. Pilots quickly activated emergency protocols, and no operational disruptions were reported.

The incidents mark a serious cybersecurity concern, exposing vulnerabilities in aviation systems that rely heavily on satellite-based navigation. GPS spoofing, a technique where malicious signals mimic real ones to mislead aircraft systems, can pose grave safety threats if not swiftly addressed.

Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, said the Wireless Monitoring Organisation (WMO) has been directed to identify the source of interference. Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has made it mandatory for airlines and pilots to report spoofing within 10 minutes of detection.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has reinforced conventional ground-based navigation systems and is working with international aviation bodies to implement advanced countermeasures.

This cyber incident comes on the heels of recent technical disruptions across Indian airports and underscores the urgent need for robust cybersecurity protocols in civil aviation.

Investigations are ongoing to trace the origin and intent behind these spoofing attempts, as authorities aim to secure India’s skies against evolving cyber threats.