GPS disruptions in Latvian airspace were recorded 497 times during the first five months of this year, which is a 52% increase compared to the same period last year, representatives of the state-owned company “Latvijas Gaisa Satiksme” (LGS) told the LETA news agency.
In May alone, 98 GPS disruptions were recorded — a 36.1% increase compared to May of the previous year, when 72 cases were registered.
Last year, a total of 820 GPS disruptions were recorded. In 2023, there were 342 incidents, and in 2022, just 26.
LGS has previously noted that data on disruptions are not broken down by specific airlines.
The air navigation company indicated that the disruptions began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and are, evidently, related to it.
The Civil Aviation Agency (CAA) previously explained to LETA that it reviews and analyzes reports of GPS signal interference in Latvian airspace. While such interference does affect normal civil aviation operations, it does not pose a threat to flight safety — whether for aircraft transiting Latvian airspace or flying to and from Latvia.
The CAA emphasizes that multiple systems are used to ensure flight safety, so GPS disruptions do not endanger flights. Each reported GPS disruption is centrally collected and analyzed by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
LGS is a 100% state-owned company responsible for providing air navigation services to users of Latvian airspace.
The CAA’s mission is to implement national policy and governance in the use of Latvian airspace and civil aviation operations — including oversight of flight safety, civil aviation security, and monitoring of aircraft emissions in accordance with environmental protection standards.