Finnish airline Finnair will suspend its daily flights to Tartu, Estonia, from April 29 to May 31 to try to find a solution that does not require a GPS signal to land at the airport, ERR News reports.
GPS interference has increased since 2022 after the full-scale Russian attack on Ukraine. Finnair pilots reported interference near Kaliningrad, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Usually, GPS interference does not affect routes or flight safety, as pilots are well aware of it and aircraft have alternative systems that are used in case of GPS signal interference.
Most airports also use alternative methods of approach assistance, but some airports, such as Tartu, use only GPS.
Last week, two Finnair flights were forced to return to Helsinki after navigation obstacles prevented them from landing in Tartu. Russians are actively using electronic warfare (EW) equipment in Kaliningrad and in the areas bordering the Baltic states, according to the monitoring platform GPSJAM.
Finnair suspends flights to Tartu for one month, during which time it plans to develop airport approach methods that will allow it to safely fly without a GPS signal.
Finnair is the only airline operating international flights to Tartu.
The company said that passengers with ticket reservations will be notified.
“We apologize for the inconvenience the suspension causes to our customers. Flight safety is always our top priority, and as the approach to Tartu currently requires a GPS signal, we cannot fly there in the event of GPS interference,” says Jari Paajanen, Chief Operating Officer of Finnair.
Loading comments …