Experts: the flights of Latvian civil aviation aircraft have not been affected due to GPS signal interference

Civil aviation aircraft flights in Latvia have not been affected due to GPS signal interference, representatives of the Civil Aviation Agency (CAA) informed the agency LETA.

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CAA, in cooperation with international partners, monitors the development of GPS signal interference, and also reminds that GPS interference does not affect the safety of aircraft flights in Latvian airspace.

The agency explains that the decision of Finland’s national airline “Finnair” to postpone flights to Tartu Airport in Estonia due to GPS interference was made as a precaution, not because of a direct threat.

Tartu Regional Airport operates with a GPS system, it does not have ground-based aeronautical equipment, as a result of which the airline takes preventive measures to maintain a consistently high level of safety, according to the CAA.

This includes INS (Inertial Navigation Systems), VOR (Radio Direction Receivers) and DME (Distance Measuring Equipment) which can operate independently of GPS and provide the necessary navigation when GPS signals are disrupted.

Air traffic control centers also make a significant contribution to ensuring safe flights. The civil aviation system is designed to be robust and capable of maintaining operational security, the CAA adds.

Every case of a GPS malfunction is centrally collected and analyzed by the European Aviation Safety Agency, which has also issued a safety bulletin stating that the situation is not critical. At the same time, recommendations have been made to the competent authorities of the member states, air navigation service providers and aircraft operators for actions to improve the flight safety of civil aviation aircraft, notes the CAA.

In addition to the GPS signal system, other means of navigation are also used at Riga Airport and in Latvian airspace – radio beacons, distance measuring devices and primary radars, which provide alternative navigation options that allow continued safe air traffic in the entire airspace, as well as to and from Riga Airport.

Accordingly, following airline procedures, aircraft pilots make a decision to eliminate minor risks to aircraft flight safety, such as flying to an alternate aerodrome.

Airlines also invest additional funds in preparing and training pilots to use alternative navigation tools in cases where one of them is not available. For example, the Airbus A220-300 aircraft used by the Latvian national airline “airBaltic” has multi-stage navigation systems that ensure independent and accurate navigation, as well as the landing procedure, adds the agency.

LETA has already announced that “Finnair” is suspending daily flights to Tartu from Monday to May 31 in order to find a solution to GPS signal disturbances.

As the airline company informed on Monday, flights to Tartu are suspended for a month in order to search for methods for planes to land at Tartu airport safely and smoothly without a GPS signal.

On Thursday and Friday, two Finnair planes returned to Finland due to GPS signal interference, as it was impossible for them to safely reach Tartu Airport.

GPS interference has increased since 2022, and Finnair pilots have reported interference, especially in the Königsberg (Kings) exclave, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea and the eastern Mediterranean region.

It has already been reported that the purpose of the CAA’s activity is to implement national policy and administration in the field of Latvian airspace use and civil aviation activities, by monitoring the safety of civil aviation aircraft and civil aviation safety, as well as monitoring the compliance of pollution caused by aircraft with environmental protection requirements.

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