GPS jamming prevents Finnish airline landings

2 weeks ago 6

Copenhagen: Finland’s nationalist bearer Finnair said it is temporarily suspending flights to Estonia’s second-largest metropolis for a period aft 2 of its planes were prevented from landing successful Tartu due to the fact that of GPS disruptions.

The origin of the GPS interference that forced the 2 flights to instrumentality to Helsinki past Thursday and Friday was not instantly known, but Estonian officials blasted GPS jamming successful the portion connected Russia.

Finland’s nationalist bearer said it is suspending flights to Estonia’s 2nd largest metropolis for a period aft 2 incidents of GPS disruptions past week.

Plane approaches to Tartu Airport presently trust connected GPS signals, said Finnair, which is the lone hose to alert into that city.

But determination are different navigational tools that tin beryllium used, and the hose said it would suspend regular flights determination from April 29 to May 31 truthful that an alternate solution tin beryllium installed astatine the airport.

“Most airports usage alternate attack methods, but immoderate airports, specified arsenic Tartu, lone usage methods that necessitate a GPS awesome to enactment them,” said Jari Paajanen, Finnair’s manager of operations, connected Monday (Helsinki time).

Finnair said GPS interference has been expanding implicit the past 2 years.

“Finnair pilots person reported interference particularly adjacent Kaliningrad, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean,” the institution said.

Paajanen said erstwhile the GPS isn’t being relied upon for airdrome approaches, disruptions to the work don’t typically effect successful information issues.

“Our pilots are good alert of the issue, and the craft person different navigation systems that tin beryllium utilized erstwhile the GPS strategy is unserviceable,” Paajanen said.

However, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Monday that jamming carried retired by Russia is truthful unsafe that sooner oregon aboriginal it volition origin a crash, the Baltic News Service said

“So this is simply a deliberate enactment that interferes with our lives lived successful a unsafe concern and this tin beryllium considered arsenic a hybrid attack,” Tsahkna told Estonian broadcaster ERR.

Disturbances person accrued since 2022, and Finnair pilots person reported interference particularly adjacent Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave connected the Baltic Sea coast, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, the institution said.

Neither the Kremlin nor Russia’s Defence Ministry instantly replied to requests for remark connected Monday.

Earlier this month, Germany said Russia was precise apt down a bid of disturbances affecting navigation successful the Baltic region. The German Defence Ministry pointed to Kaliningrad arsenic their source, though it declined to springiness immoderate details citing “reasons of subject security”.

At the time, Moscow did not remark connected specified accusations.

AP, Reuters

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