Estonia blames Russia for GPS interference that forces Finnair to stop flights to Tartu – BNN

On Monday, April 29, “Finnair” announced that it is suspending flights to Tartu, Estonia for a month, citing GPS signal interference over the Baltic Sea region, which Estonia blames on Russia, and two “Finnair” flights last week had to return to GPS as the reason. due to disturbances, reports Politico.

Tartu Airport uses only GPS for takeoff and landing, and Finnair is the only airline that provides international flights to Tartu.

In its statement, Finnair apologized for the inconvenience caused to customers and stated that its priority is flight safety.

“GPS interference in Tartu forces us to suspend flights until alternative solutions are found,” the statement said, adding that

flights are suspended from April 29 to May 31.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna called the GPS jamming a “hybrid attack” and blamed Russia, saying he planned to discuss the issue with representatives of the European Union and NATO.

“Russia knows very well that the interference it sends is very dangerous for our air traffic,” Cahkna was quoted as saying. He called it

“deliberate actions that disrupt our lives by endangering human lives”.

GPS jamming in the Baltic region has been a regular occurrence since the start of the war in Ukraine, with Russia believed to be the most likely culprit, although its responsibility has not been proven. Finnair said in a statement that its pilots are particularly reporting disturbances near Kaliningrad, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea and the eastern Mediterranean.

While planes can still fly safely without a GPS signal, the interference robs pilots of an important source of geolocation.

Also read: Polish protesters end months-long blockade of Ukrainian border

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