Finnair suspended its services earlier this year due to GPS interference. As Russia continues to disrupt GPS in Finland, authorities upgraded radio navigation equipment to key airports.
Reuters reports that three airports in Finland have reintroduced the radio navigation equipment for aircraft landings when Russia interferes on satellite navigation.
In Eastern Europe, GPS jamming was reported in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Finland, Sweden Poland, Germany, and Finland. Some experts believe that this jamming is a spillover from Russia’s combat operation in Ukraine. Others, however, see it as an intentional attempt to undermine Western infrastructures and test NATO‘s reaction capabilities. It involves the disruption GPS signals over large regions, affecting military and civilian operations.
Finnish authorities believe that Russia jamming signals used for satellite navigation (GNSS), global positioning system (GPS), and other strategic assets in Finland and the Baltic Sea Region to protect them from Ukrainian drone attacks.
In September, two airports in Finland operated by Finavia in the cities of Joensuu (about an hour drive from the Russian border) and Savonlinna (about the same distance away) reintroduced ground-based radio equipment. Another airport in Lappeenranta will do the same as soon as possible.
Henry Hansson, Finavia’s head of infrastructure and safety, said that radio-based distance measurement equipment, once widely used in aviation provides an “alternative way of measuring” for aircraft when GPS jamming occurs.
Finavia reactivated its equipment after two domestic Finnair flight to Joensuu in June and August were cancelled due to GPS disruptions.
Traficom, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, reported that GPS failures of various levels are detected every day in the country’s aircraft. The majority of reports come from southern Finland.
Finnair suspended flights to Tartu, in eastern Estonia, in April due to similar problems. However, they resumed these flights in June after the Estonian Airport found a solution that did not rely on GPS signals for aircraft landings.
UkrInform reports that Estonia has accused Russia of violating international regulations on airspace by interfering GPS signals.
Antti Hakkanen, the Minister of Defense in Finland, had earlier authorized the Defense Forces of the country to sign a Framework Agreement for the procurement devices to protect against GPS interruptions.
Please read:
* Bloomberg: Europe continues to pay Russia billions of dollars for gas despite Ukraine War
* EU energy ministers consider options for Russian gas transport as Ukraine transit agreement expires
* Hungary talks with Gazprom about additional gas supplies by 2025
* Ukraine’s gas storage open for EU use, Naftogaz CEO assures despite Russian attacks
Read More @ euromaidanpress.com