Quantcast

Airlines face challenges from GPS jamming and restricted airspaces

Alaska Airlines flight attendants reject new contract, union says there's 'more work to do'
Elliott Investment To Push For 10 New Boardroom Directors At Southwest Airlines
VistaJet Flight Brings Home Americans in Prisoner Swap
Air Canada Blames Paris Olympics On Decreased Profits
Delta passengers sue airline over refund refusals after CrowdStrike meltdown
Microsoft fires back at Delta after massive outage, says airline declined ‘repeated’ offers for help
Korean Air Confirms A Spacious Lounge Is Coming To The New Terminal One at New York JFK
VAS Aero Services to Acquire an Additional 17 Airbus A320 Airframes, Bringing to 23 the Total Number of A320s Slated for Teardown and Harvested Parts Redistribution
Delta CEO says CrowdStrike-Microsoft outage cost the airline $500 million
Boeing Reports $16.9 Billion In Revenue For 2nd Quarter With 5,400 Commercial Aircraft Backlog
United Airlines says flight attendant in Terrell Davis incident is no longer employed and NFL legend’s ‘no fly’ ban is lifted | CNN
Nepal Plane Crash Kills 18 After Takeoff - Airline Ratings
Southwest Airlines is getting rid of open seating | CNN Business
CrowdStrike Outage Caused 10% Spike in Air Charter
Aircraft Engine Maintenance and Repair to Peak in 2026, Worsening Capacity Shortage for Commercial Aviation, Says Bain & Company
Joby’s Electric Air Taxi Makes European Debut
The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation announces NLRB-scheduled vote to remove union officials
Families recount the horror of MH17 ten years on - Airline Ratings
777-9 Enters Certification Flight Testing - AVweb
Kompass Kapital Sets New Course with Airshare Investment
SATS, SIA Engineering Company and Changi Airport Group to Trial Autonomous Buses at Changi Airport
Qatar Airways Landing An A350 In Hamburg Makes A Powerful Statement - Airline Ratings
EBAA Backs Dassault's Sustainability Lawsuit against European Commission | AIN
American Airlines Now Lets You Earn And Spend Miles On Concerts And Events
Boeing agrees to plead guilty to defrauding the FAA but escapes punishment sought by victims’ families | CNN Business
IATA partners with Aviation Sustainability Forum to tackle cabin waste
Qatar Airways In Talks To Buy 20% Of Virgin Australia - Airline Ratings
Boeing Will Buy Spirit AeroSystems For $4.7 Billion In Stock & Airbus Enters $559 Million Agreement For Its Parts
Bombardier Global Jet Production Stops in Toronto as Union Workers Strike | AIN
Justice Department To Offer Boeing a Plea Deal Related to Max Crashes
Airlines face challenges from GPS jamming and restricted airspaces
Policy
Webp globalair
Global air transport | Global Air

Global air transport relies on the collaboration of various stakeholders, including airport operators, governments, and military entities. Each country is responsible for managing its own airspace, which includes areas above both land and sea. Pilots use GPS to navigate efficiently through different airspaces, allowing for direct routes and reduced flight times.

However, airspace closures and GPS jamming have increasingly impacted airline operations. Military authorities or national governments may close airspace to ensure safety, causing airlines to delay or cancel flights. If not flying directly to a destination within closed airspace, airlines must reroute flights, leading to longer travel times and increased fuel consumption.

Airspace can be closed for reasons such as military exercises, natural disasters, conflicts, or high-profile events. These closures affect the flow of goods and humanitarian efforts provided by nonprofit organizations through their airline partners.

Get the Newsletter
Sign-up to receive weekly round up of news from Sky Industry News
By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By providing your phone number you are opting in and consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from our short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.

For instance, restrictions over Russian airspace have significantly impacted Western carriers. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia closed its airspace to most European and North American operators in response to sanctions. This forced some flights from Europe to Asia to reroute via Central Asia.

"Naturally, this extends the flight by 30-40 minutes one way and entails additional costs for the company," said Uzbekistan Airways CEO Shukhrat Khudaikulov regarding altered routes due to Russian restrictions.

Conflicts in regions like the Middle East have also led to multiple airspace restrictions. Increased tensions have affected busy corridors in the area, with countries like Jordan closing their airspace following missile launches by Iran.

In Africa, military coups and civil unrest led to several airspace closures in 2023. The closure of Niger's airspace added challenges for airlines operating between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.

Apart from enforced closures, some regions are voluntarily avoided by airlines due to risks such as high terrain or turbulence. For example, airlines avoid flying over Tibet despite open airspace due to its mountainous landscape.

GPS interference poses another challenge for pilots who rely heavily on it for navigation. Intentional jamming has increased worldwide due to geopolitical tensions. Several incidents have been reported near Eastern Europe bordering Russia where airlines experienced GPS signal disruptions.

GPS spoofing involves transmitting signals that mislead aircraft about their position or time. It is a serious risk as it can cause aircraft deviations from intended routes. OPSGROUP reported a significant increase in spoofing incidents last year affecting daily flights.

Despite these challenges, many aircraft are equipped with redundant systems and pilots are trained to manage risks associated with GPS jamming and spoofing effectively.

Organizations Included in this History
More News

Airlines for America announced on X that it is promoting the 2025 joint ATA e-Business Forum & S1000D User Forum, scheduled for October 6–8 in Montreal, Canada.

Apr 21, 2025

Air India has announced on the social media platform X that it is promoting DigiYatra for contactless travel on domestic flights.

Apr 21, 2025

Flying Food Group has announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it is promoting open positions across the United States and encouraging job seekers to apply.

Apr 21, 2025

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has announced on the social media platform X that Hawaiian Airlines will be relocating its operations to Terminal 6.

Apr 21, 2025

Flying Food Group has announced on the social media platform X that it is hiring station attendants for airline catering positions in Hawaii.

Apr 21, 2025

Etihad Airways has announced its support for DigiYatra, an Indian government platform that facilitates contactless travel through facial recognition technology.

Apr 21, 2025