NEW DELHI: Growing tensions in the Middle East have again led to Airlines Avoiding the hotspot regions, making flights between the west and east (including India) take longer. Lufthansa Group airlines, including SWISS, have stopped flying over Iran and Iraq since tensions escalated. Britain has advised its airlines to avoid airspace over Lebanon. And Egypt had asked its airlines to avoid Iranian airspace for three hours early Thursday.
An Air India spokesperson said: “All our flights are assessed daily for potential safety risks, whether they are in the Middle East or any other part of our network. If necessary, adjustments are made to avoid risk areas. In some cases, this may increase flight time, but otherwise it has minimal impact on our nonstop operations.” AI has suspended its flights to Tel Aviv.
A Lufthansa spokesperson told TOI, “All Lufthansa Group flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Tehran and Erbil (from the airline’s hubs in Europe) are suspended until August 13 inclusive. We will also not use Iraqi or Iranian airspace during this period.” Flight tracking sites show that Lufthansa’s Delhi-Frankfurt flight (LH 761) on July 28 overflew Iran and the journey took just under 8 hours and 21 minutes. On the other hand, the same flight on August 8 took a longer route to avoid Iran and the journey took 9 hours and 13 minutes.
Following the recent escalation of tensions between Israel and Iran, Opsgroup – a global membership organization for flight operations personnel such as pilots, flight dispatchers, flight planners and air traffic controllers – published a “special briefing” on August 1. It stated that in the event of an “air attack” in the region, short-term closures of airspace in Iran, Iraq and Jordan were “highly likely”. Members were advised that “ongoing GPS monitoring operations” Spoofing (counterfeiting)which can affect a variety of aircraft systems, occurs primarily in two areas: the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Also this April, when the situation in the region was very tense, “GPS jamming and spoofing levels increased in the Middle East, with major disruptions in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Israel. Traffic routes via Egypt and Saudi Arabia on a Middle East transit route (southern route) must expect spoofing and be alert for early signs,” Opsgroup said.
Several pilots operating in the West say GPS spoofing and jamming are getting worse by the day. “As soon as we cross the Iran-Pakistan border, jamming and spoofing start. This continues until we pass Turkey in the West. There is also this problem in Russian airspace, especially near the troubled areas,” pilots say.
“We inform the air traffic control en route and ask them to monitor the aircraft’s position on the radar. We use the alternative DME-DME update, which uses the aircraft’s last location to track its location,” say several experienced pilots. The flight crew is trained to use GPS interference and spoofing. With so many war zones and security incidents, this is becoming a real problem, especially when crossing international borders and conflict zones to confuse crew. Airlines are communicating in real time about this issue.
The Lufthansa flight Delhi-Frankfurt (LH 761) on July 28 flew over Iran. The journey lasted almost 8 hours and 21 minutes.
An Air India spokesperson said: “All our flights are assessed daily for potential safety risks, whether they are in the Middle East or any other part of our network. If necessary, adjustments are made to avoid risk areas. In some cases, this may increase flight time, but otherwise it has minimal impact on our nonstop operations.” AI has suspended its flights to Tel Aviv.
A Lufthansa spokesperson told TOI, “All Lufthansa Group flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Tehran and Erbil (from the airline’s hubs in Europe) are suspended until August 13 inclusive. We will also not use Iraqi or Iranian airspace during this period.” Flight tracking sites show that Lufthansa’s Delhi-Frankfurt flight (LH 761) on July 28 overflew Iran and the journey took just under 8 hours and 21 minutes. On the other hand, the same flight on August 8 took a longer route to avoid Iran and the journey took 9 hours and 13 minutes.
Following the recent escalation of tensions between Israel and Iran, Opsgroup – a global membership organization for flight operations personnel such as pilots, flight dispatchers, flight planners and air traffic controllers – published a “special briefing” on August 1. It stated that in the event of an “air attack” in the region, short-term closures of airspace in Iran, Iraq and Jordan were “highly likely”. Members were advised that “ongoing GPS monitoring operations” Spoofing (counterfeiting)which can affect a variety of aircraft systems, occurs primarily in two areas: the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Also this April, when the situation in the region was very tense, “GPS jamming and spoofing levels increased in the Middle East, with major disruptions in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Israel. Traffic routes via Egypt and Saudi Arabia on a Middle East transit route (southern route) must expect spoofing and be alert for early signs,” Opsgroup said.
Several pilots operating in the West say GPS spoofing and jamming are getting worse by the day. “As soon as we cross the Iran-Pakistan border, jamming and spoofing start. This continues until we pass Turkey in the West. There is also this problem in Russian airspace, especially near the troubled areas,” pilots say.
“We inform the air traffic control en route and ask them to monitor the aircraft’s position on the radar. We use the alternative DME-DME update, which uses the aircraft’s last location to track its location,” say several experienced pilots. The flight crew is trained to use GPS interference and spoofing. With so many war zones and security incidents, this is becoming a real problem, especially when crossing international borders and conflict zones to confuse crew. Airlines are communicating in real time about this issue.
The Lufthansa flight Delhi-Frankfurt (LH 761) on July 28 flew over Iran. The journey lasted almost 8 hours and 21 minutes.
