EASA and the International Air Transport Association held a workshop last week to share incident information and remedies for global navigation satellite system (GNSS) jamming and spoofing incidents. The workshop concluded that “interference with satellite-based services that provide information on the precise position of an aircraft can pose significant challenges to aviation safety.”
Workshop participants agreed on some measures to make positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services provided by GNSS more resilient, including reporting events, eventually to a common database; sharing aircraft manufacturers’ guidance to operators; sharing EASA alerts about attacks with relevant stakeholders; and ensuring a backup system with the minimum operational network of traditional ground-based navigation aids.
“[We] have seen a sharp rise in attacks on [GNSS] systems, which poses a safety risk,” said EASA acting executive director Luc Tytgat. “EASA is tackling the risk specific to these new technologies. We immediately need to ensure that pilots and crews can identify the risks and know how to react and land safely. In the medium term, we will need to adapt the certification requirements of the navigation and landing systems. For the longer term, we need to ensure we are involved in the design of future satellite navigation systems. Countering this risk is a priority for the agency.”
EASA has also published Safety Information Bulletin 2022-02R2 on this topic.