New Delhi/IBNS: Concerned over reports that civilian aircrafts are sometimes flying blind over parts of the Middle East owing to lost GPS signals, the civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued an advisory to all Indian airlines.

This comes after several reports in recent days that navigation systems of civilian aircrafts are being spoofed when they fly over parts of the Middle East.

Following the concern, the DGCA advisory aims to alert airlines of the nature of the threat and how to respond to it.

"The aviation industry is grappling with uncertainties due to new threats and reports of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) jamming and spoofing," the circular states.

The report takes note of "increasing reports of GNSS interference over airspace in the Middle East in the recent past" and calls for the development of contingency measures to deal with the jamming of navigation systems.

The DGCA has also sought the creation of a threat monitoring and analysis network.

In late September, multiple commercial flights near Iran went off-course after their navigation systems went blind. One of the aircraft, which fell victim to spoofing, ended up almost flying into Iranian airspace without permission. 

According to OpsGroup, a group of professional pilots, flight dispatchers, schedulers, and controllers have flagged the issue.