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 given 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.
At Riga Airport and in the airspace of the Republic of Latvia, other means of navigation are also used in addition to the GPS signal system – radio beacons, distance measuring devices and primary radars, which provide alternative navigation options. This allows continued safe air traffic in the entire airspace, as well as to and from Riga Airport.
Regional airports that do not have sufficient alternative equipment can mainly suffer from GPS interference. 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 resources 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 airBaltic has multi-level navigation systems that ensure independent and accurate navigation and landing procedures.
