THOUSANDS of British holiday flights have been hit by suspected Russian interference – with aviation sources calling the tactic “extremely dangerous” and a major threat to air safety.
Electronic attacks render satnavs useless, so aircraft are unsure of their routes and have difficulty telling others where they are.
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False data forced planes to swerve and dive to avoid phantom obstacles that didn’t actually exist.
Industry sources warn that it is extremely dangerous.
In eight months to the end of March, 2,309 Ryanair flights and 1,368 Wizz Air planes experienced satellite navigation problems in the Baltic region.
Also affected were 82 British Airways flights, seven Jet2 flights, four EasyJet flights and seven flights operated by TUI.
Interference by Vladimir Putin’s forces includes interference and falsification.
The jamming muffles genuine signals from satellites, including GPS and the European Galileo system.
Spoofing uses false signals to trick aircraft into thinking they are somewhere they are not.
An industry source said: “The information from the Russians is spurious. It is extremely dangerous.”
In January, Europe’s aviation safety watchdog described the jamming and spoofing as “attacks” but did not say who was behind them.
The European Aviation Safety Agency held a summit with the global body representing airlines to combat the threat.
Luc Tytgat, head of EASA, said: “We have seen a sharp increase in attacks on these systems, which pose a security risk.”
The Sun was on board an RAF jet with Defense Secretary Grant Shapps last month when it became stranded whilst flying through Poland, near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
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An aide blamed Russia for the “extremely irresponsible” attack.
Passengers typically don’t know if their jet is stuck.
But The Sun joined forces with researchers at GPSJAM.org to analyze public flight records.
Aircraft send automatic dependent surveillance broadcasts to let others nearby and controllers know where they are.
These signals include an estimate of how well the satnav is working. Poor performance indicates interference or spoofing.
JAM HOTSPOTS
GPSJAM admits that the signals have not conclusively proven interference.
But he said: “Areas where a significant percentage of aircraft report poor navigational accuracy appear to correlate well with areas of known and suspected interference.”
Records show hotspots of interference in the Baltic, Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean.
We focus on the Baltic, where 46,000 aircraft reported satellite navigation problems between August and the end of March.
The only major UK carrier not affected was Virgin Atlantic, as its planes do not fly through the region.
Russians have long used GPS jamming as a harassment tool
War expert Dr. Jack Watling
Our investigation has shown that suspected Russian attacks have increased from less than 50 per week last year to more than 350 per week last month.
War expert Dr Jack Watling from the think tank RUSI said: “The Russians have long used GPS jamming as a tool of harassment, projecting it across NATO borders.
“Wherever there is a large Russian garrison, we see GPS denial and there is one in Kaliningrad.
“They just turn these things on because there are standing orders.”
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Defense officials also accused Russia of jamming GPS signals at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus.
Spoofing and interference are happening in Ukraine, where Kiev and Moscow are trying to undermine the accuracy of missiles and drones.
Ryanair said: “If any location system, such as GPS, is not working, crew switch to alternative systems.”
Easyjet said it had procedures in place to mitigate GPS issues.
TUI does not fly in the Baltics and said the seven affected aircraft were likely flying without passengers.
BA and Jet2 declined to comment.
Glenn Bradley of the UK Civil Aviation Authority insisted that flying remained one of the safest ways to travel.
He said: “There are several security protocols in place to protect navigation systems on commercial aircraft.
“GPS jamming does not directly affect an aircraft’s navigation, and although it is a known issue, it does not mean that an aircraft has been deliberately jammed.
“While operators have mitigation measures in place to ensure continued safe operations, we work closely with other aviation regulators, airlines and aircraft manufacturers to reduce and mitigate any risks posed by interference and continually monitor incidents around the world.”
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