‘Airplane navigation systems in the Middle East are being deliberately disrupted’

Opsgroup, an organization of aviation workers, has observed more than fifty incidents in which commercial aircraft navigation systems are deliberately disrupted over three cities in the Middle East. It is not clear who is behind the disruptions.

Opsgroup has in their own words distinguish three scenarios in which the navigation systems of commercial aircraft were disrupted. A first scenario has played out dozens of times in the airspace of the Iraqi capital Baghdad since the end of August, a second scenario has taken place several times in the airspace of Tel Aviv and a third scenario has occurred in the airspace of Cairo.

In the most serious cases, pilots lost full control of their aircraft’s navigation systems. In other cases, incorrect location data was shown on the aircraft’s on-board computers or there was a risk that the aircraft would fly into prohibited parts of local airspace.

According to the organization, it is not clear to pilots how they can combat the disruptions. Airplanes would be very vulnerable to such attacks. The organization is looking at manufacturers and aviation authorities, but they reportedly do not yet provide a satisfactory answer. Opsgroup therefore believes that the staff is left to their own devices.

Map showing locations where outages have occurred. Source: Opsgroup