While a less organised GPS jamming blocks signals, spoofing by rogue transmitters mimicking GPS satellites feeds false coordinates to potentially cause aircraft to misjudge their location, speed and altitude. At least GPS jamming can simply be suspected behind some major crashes in India caused by misleading altitude readings.

NEW DELHI, Nov 8: In a rare and deeply concerning disruption, operations at Delhi’s IGI Airport (Indira Gandhi International Airport) were thrown into chaos this week as over 900 flights were delayed and at least 20 cancelled, following a dual crisis involving a critical systems failure and suspected GPS spoofing—a cyber threat more commonly associated with conflict zones and military deception.

The passengers were stranded for about 12 hours. The system was restored late in the night and the flight operations were limping back to normal on Monday morning. The crisis had gradually affected all the national network. The air traffic controllers had to manually process flight schedules during the downtime. The crisis that began on Thursday afternoon, officially ended on Friday night. It was the longest such outage. There was no redundant systems working, it is learnt. Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad were badly affected.

The disruption began with a technical failure in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS)—a vital component of air traffic control (ATC) that automates the processing of flight plans and communication between pilots and controllers. With the system down, ATC personnel were forced to manually process flight data, significantly slowing down operations and causing a cascading effect of delays and diversions.

Compounding the crisis, several pilots reported receiving corrupted satellite navigation data while approaching Delhi. This was later identified as GPS spoofing—a sophisticated cyberattack where fake satellite signals are broadcast to mislead aircraft navigation systems.

Unlike GPS jamming, which blocks signals, spoofing feeds false coordinates, potentially causing aircraft to misjudge their position.

The technical threat of GPS spoofing

GPS spoofing is not new, but its appearance at a major civilian airport like Delhi’s is unprecedented in India. The technique involves a rogue transmitter mimicking GPS satellites, tricking aircraft into believing they are in a different location etc. This can lead to navigational errors, airspace violations, or even mid-air conflicts if not caught in time.

While modern aircraft are equipped with Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) and multi-sensor fusion algorithms to cross-verify GPS data, spoofing can still cause confusion—especially during low-visibility landings or in congested airspace. The fact that these incidents coincided with easterly wind shifts—forcing aircraft to land from the Dwarka side—only added to the congestion and risk.

Link to recent crashes?

Though no direct link has been established, the Delhi spoofing scare echoes concerns raised after recent aviation incidents globally. For instance, early this week a cargo plane crashed in Kentucky. Past the critical decision speed to abort takoeff, at 30 m above ground level and at a speed of 340 km/h before crashing, a repeating bell sounded in the cockpit for 25 seconds. Another instance is the 2024 near-miss over the Black Sea due to navigation anomalies suspected to be caused by spoofing or jamming.

These incidents have reignited calls for robust anti-spoofing protocols, including cryptographic GPS, ground-based augmentation systems, and real-time anomaly detection.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has restored the AMSS system and is investigating the spoofing reports in coordination with cybersecurity and aviation safety agencies.

Meanwhile, aviation experts are urging the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to issue immediate advisories and upgrade ATC resilience against electronic warfare tactics.

As India’s busiest airport and a critical node in global aviation, Delhi IGIA’s vulnerability to such threats underscores the urgent need for cyber-physical security integration in civil aviation. The skies may be clear, but the signals guiding aircraft through them are now under invisible threat. It is reasonabe to suspect foul play in some Indian crashes caused by misleading altitude readings.

IndiGo advisory to passengers: IndiGo, India’s largest airline, warned passengers on X: “Flight operations at Delhi Airport are currently experiencing delays due to a technical issue with the Air Traffic Control system. As a result, flight operations at Delhi and several northern regions are impacted. We understand that extended wait times, both on the ground and onboard, may cause inconvenience.”

Air India: “Technical issue with the ATC system in Delhi is impacting flight operations across all airlines, leading to delays and longer wait times at the airport and onboard aircraft.”

How ground-based GPS spoofing works

GPS spoofing involves broadcasting fake satellite signals that mislead GPS receivers into calculating incorrect positions. A ground-based transmitter can execute this by mimicking legitimate GPS signals with higher signal strength and deceptive timing data.

The sequence

• Signal Generation - The attacker uses a software-defined radio (SDR) or GPS simulator to generate counterfeit GPS signals.
• These signals replicate the structure of real satellite transmissions but contain manipulated location and time data.
• Transmission
• The spoofed signals are transmitted from a ground-based antenna, often at a higher power than the weak signals received from actual satellites
• Because GPS receivers prioritize stronger signals, they may lock onto the spoofed ones.
• Receiver hijack
• The aircraft’s GPS receiver begins to calculate its position based on the fake signals.

This can cause:

• Sudden shifts in reported location
• Incorrect altitude or heading
• Loss of synchronization with ATC instructions
• Gradual Drift vs. Sudden Jump
• Sophisticated spoofers gradually drift the aircraft’s perceived location to avoid detection.
• Cruder attacks may cause sudden jumps, triggering alerts in cockpit systems.

Aviation risks

• Approach Phase Vulnerability: Aircraft are most vulnerable during landing, when GPS is used for precision approaches (e.g., RNP, LPV).
• ATC Conflicts: Spoofed positions can lead to airspace violations, runway incursions, or loss of separation.
• Instrument Confusion: Pilots may see conflicting data between GPS, inertial navigation, and radar.

Detection and counter-measures

• Multi-sensor fusion: Aircraft systems compare GPS with inertial, barometric, and radio navigation data
• RAIM (Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring): Detects inconsistencies in satellite geometry.C
• Cryptographic GPS (e.g., M-code): Used by military to authenticate signals.
• Ground-based augmentation systems (GBAS): Provide verified corrections to GPS data.

Real-world examples

• Black Sea (2024): Multiple aircraft reported spoofed positions over contested airspace.
• Middle East (2023–2025): Civilian aircraft near conflict zones experienced spoofing and jamming.
• Delhi (2025): Pilots reported corrupted GPS data during approach, possibly due to spoofing from a rogue transmitter or misconfigured ground equipmen

The CCTV footage and the video circulating on social media do not indicate any serious abnormalities in takeoff or descent, it has been confirmed. The disaster is becoming curiouser and curiouser. The flight path was not curvy. And the aircraft maintained a steady, gliding descent with its nose straight and the wings perfectly level. The pilot's distress call does not specify what prevented lift and climb-out. Here are some expert opinions. The sole purpose is to raise travellers' awareness about air travel.

Many of the victims were charred beyond recognition, making identification difficult. Three hundred nineteen body parts have been sent for DNA matching with relatives to determine the identities.

• The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla line provides Kashmir with all-weather connectivity and integrates the Valley with the rest of India.
• The saying 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari' is now a dream come true.
• The Chenab bridge on the line, an engineering marvel, is the world's highest railway bridge, taller than the Eiffel Tower. (Video: File)

A comment on social media on Kanimozhi's answer on the question of national language read: "Daughter of Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. Delivered the Birthday Present to her Father!!" (Karunanidhi was born on June 3, 1924) (Today's headlines )

Trump said, "Elon is not really leaving" and will be "back and forth" to the White House because DOGE is his "baby." "I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things.”

Musk wrote: "My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end... The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Now on it will be on auto-pilot.

PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.

Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people. (Today's headlines )

"Coming from a system like in England, empowering," she says she never had an idea of this sort of experience... being asked to “socialise with middle-aged men” who financed the event...humiliating...

Originally from Junagadh, Gujarat, Pataudi was relocated to Etawah Lion Safari in September 2019 before being transferred to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021. Recently it was receiving treatment for pancreatic and liver infections. After tigress Shakti died in the zoo on May 7 due to bird flu, Pataudi was shifted to Kanpur. Some birds are also reported to have died mysteriously around Gorakhpur. All zoos in UP are closed for fear of a bird flu outbreak.

Three other animals too had died - a tiger, a leopardess and a female wolf. Wolf Bhairavi died last Saturday, leopardess Mona died the Thursday before that and tiger Kesari died on March 30. Some of them had Shakti's symptoms but the cause of death has not been confirmed yet.

As tourist inflow is an indicator of normalcy returning to an erstwhile terrorist infested Valley, the Government has been trying hard to make everything travel-friendly, launching lot many projects and bringing Kashmir on the national rail map that physically completes the process of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India. And that defeats the designs of Pakistan eyeing Kashmir and simply explains a recrudescence of terrorism in J&K.

The committee headed by justice Kurian Joseph will study Centre-State relations and make proposals to ensure foolproof separation of powers.

"It's a big victory not just for Tamil Nadu but for all Indian States. DMK will continue to struggle for and win State autonomy and Federal polity," Chief Minister MK Stalin said.

Of 2.08 km in length, it features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth movement of ships while ensuring seamless train services to the holy town of Rameswaram on Pamban island.

ANALYSIS: There is a lot of hue and cry around the world over Trump's tariffs. But tariff, simply put, is a tax. But unlike tax, it affects the exporting country too. Domestic prices will go up for some time. Nothing more will happen, good or bad!

What motivated Trump's newfound policy, apart from being a stunt to justify his existence in the White House, is a false realisation that increased tariff will make foreign goods prohibitive, thereby boosting local production, and create more jobs, and more prosperity will ring in! If that is true, India would have been shining by now: Producing own Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and Scotch Whiskies! And what about coconut and palm oil by America! (Today's headlines )

PROGNOSIS: It looks a Real New Trump is emerging - courageous, balanced, powerful and disinterested. Determined to save his country from the cliff, he has done quite a few draconian things that will reduce the burden of debts of the Federal entity, like the golden handshake, stopping senseless funding, pulling out of a worthless WHO. Shutting the Education Department is another. On the other hand, running it is also not the Centre's job either (We will convincingly elaborate it in the next chapter).

In India the scene is just the opposite. Centralisation is the core agenda and identity of the ruling dispensation without which it has no existence, or in other words, it exists for that set of schemes only. A realisation of this never dawned upon any Opposition party in 2014 or any time thereafter, what to talk of being able to see it coming 70 years ago! The consequence of all this violation of basic natural law of the universe we cannot predict.

THE AMERICAN CONUNDRUM: Political venom has migrated to top echelons in the US. It was reported last year NASA has become politicised, vitiated. But NASA refuted the charge. How Boeing developed a glitch but its unmanned return was smooth. When Suni-Wilmore were stranded last June, why the return was set for February? Because that comes only after January 20! SpaceX called the shots, for itself and for Trump. Then the mission was manipulated for March for a better bargain! In between, what made Elon Musk 'predict' during campaign if Kamala Harris wins he would be in jail. In politics, it is said, "the only rule is there are no rules." Difficult times for Americans too.

The terminations are part of a large-scale exercise going on all across Fed departments and organisations to reduce wasteful Government expenditure as decided by a Trump in a mess gone berserk, and improve administrative efficiency following the whims of billionaire and his associate Elon MusK and his DOGE. It has not been shared how terminations are going to raise the efficiency bar! It looks like Trump has stolen some of the prescriptions meant for India. But the American problems are quite different.

Suddenly these colonial clerks feel this effortless, little rule will tremendously enhance security and convenience for the railway passengers manifold. More stations will be covered in the next 77 years! (Also See: New Delhi station stampede... What went wrong?)

ANALYSIS: "The standard operating procedure for deportations by aircraft used by ICE that is effective from 2012 provides for the use of restraints," says the Government. That means, it is taken for granted the US will set the standard for deportations. For another, the Government is more interested in comparing with what happened in 2012 under a different Government to justify its own compliance! No surprise, others are trampling upon us. (How we conduct ourselves inside decides, inherently, how we are treated outside) Thirdly, the Government blamed the gangs doing the business of human trafficking for the illegal migration. For all the crimes taking place in the country, let us blame the criminals! Funny! We will never move an inch forward! The mindset defines what we are.

Meanwhile, a UN-returned Congress leader Shashi Tharoor sounded like a layman when he said, "If they are citizens of India we have an obligation to take them back." Who said 'No'?. He should know that is not the issue now. Who will identify an undocumented person, and how?

The function was held indoors from 12 pm (10:30 pm IST) at the rotunda of the US Capitol building because of unusually intense cold and snow. Delivering his inaugural address, Trump remarked, “The golden age of America begins right now," and just hours later signed a slew of executive orders to redeem the election pledges.