Aircraft navigation disruptions soar by 175% as GPS spoofing escalates—IATA
Aircraft navigation disruptions, including signal jamming and GPS spoofing, soared by 175 per cent in 2024, posing a growing threat to global aviation safety, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The latest IATA Incident Data Exchange (IDX) report revealed an alarming 500 per cent spike in GPS spoofing incidents, further complicating navigation for airlines worldwide.
The most affected regions included Türkiye, Iraq, and Egypt, where increasing interference with Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) has raised serious safety concerns.
IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh, warned that the surge in GNSS interference poses a critical challenge to aviation safety, urging immediate action from governments and air navigation service providers.
“These disruptions threaten operational integrity and passenger safety. Authorities must act swiftly to mitigate this growing risk,” Walsh stated.
While backup systems exist to support aviation safety when GNSS signals are compromised, IATA stressed that continued interference could have devastating consequences.
The aviation industry is calling for global cooperation to strengthen situational awareness and equip airlines with advanced tools to navigate safely despite these threats.
The rising interference comes amid broader aviation safety concerns. IATA’s 2024 safety report showed an increase in accidents, with seven fatal incidents resulting in 244 deaths, compared to one fatal accident and 72 fatalities in 2023. The all-accident rate stood at 1.13 per million flights—worse than the previous year’s 1.09 but an improvement on the five-year average of 1.25.
IATA’s regional breakdown showed that Africa had the highest accident rate at 10.59 per million flights, despite maintaining a zero-fatality risk for the second consecutive year. North America and Europe reported lower accident rates, but GNSS interference remained a growing issue in the Middle East and North Africa.
With aviation safety at a crossroads, IATA is calling for coordinated international action to combat GNSS interference and safeguard the industry against escalating risks.
