41 notifications of GPS disturbances reported in Finland in H1

The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency- Traficom received a total of 41 notifications of GPS disturbances from the beginning of this year, said the agency in a press release on Wednesday.

The notifications are received from aircraft operating in Finnish airspace.

Last year, a total of 65 such notifications were filed.

An increase in the number of disturbance notifications in Finland has been noted during the past several weeks.

The authorities are aware that even Estonia and Latvia have suffered GPS disturbances. A total of 2,187 notifications have been filed from outside Finland in 2023.

GPS disturbances are difficult to notice on the ground. The disturbances may be momentary and localised, which makes them difficult to prove later.

Traficom particularly monitors the reporting of aircraft, collects further information, and in cases of radio interference, cooperates with the Baltic countries, Sweden, and Norway.

From the perspective of aviation, flying remains safe. Airlines are well prepared and have procedures in place for situations where the GPS signal is lost.

An aircraft can be navigated and safely landed using other systems. Air traffic control supports the guidance of an aircraft for landing using other systems.

For the final approach, traditional approach systems do not require the use of a GPS signal. Airlines make their own decisions regarding the possibility to operate if they are aware of disturbances in the GPS signal.

“The cases reported since the beginning of the year in Finland have all been at cruising altitude. When the GPS signal has not been available for navigation, the aircraft have safely started using the alternative navigation system, in accordance with standard procedure,” said Traficom Manager Jari Pöntinen.

Only three cases of GPS disturbance have been reported on the ground.

In addition, Traficom detects low-power jammers from time to time, typically used in a car.

They are used to try to hide the location of an individual vehicle, tachograph, or phone, for example. Jammers are illegal radio transmitters. Traficom cooperates with the police to remove them from operation.