Increasing interference to navigation satellite systems has spurred the creation of a joint plan to mitigate air transport risks, with the aim of submitting it to ICAO for global alignment.
Signal-loss events more than trebled over the course of 2021-24, according to IATA data.
“With continued geopolitical tensions, it is difficult to see this trend reversing in the near term,” says IATA senior vice-president for operations, safety and security Nick Careen.
“This must command a high priority at the ICAO Assembly later this year. To stay ahead of the threat, aviation must act together and without delay.”
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency is collaborating with IATA to reinforce built-in redundancies, following a workshop in May held at EASA’s headquarters in Cologne.
EASA flight standards director Jesper Rasmussen says containment is no longer sufficient, and building resilience through a “dynamic and ambitious” plan is necessary.
This workshop concluded that a broader and more co-ordinated approach to signal interference is required, based on four pillars.
These include gathering interference data through real-time airspace monitoring and standardised reporting – perhaps taking advantage of military air traffic control resources – with prompt dissemination of information.
Use of technological capabilities could increase situational awareness, detect interference, and reduce false alerts, while prevention would be aided by tightening controls on jamming equipment.
A minimal network of conventional ground-based navigation aids would serve to back up satellite navigation, mitigating risk, while enhanced contingency procedures would serve to assist affected aircraft.
Interference threats have led to the development of avionics that capitalise on quantum physics and atomic interferometry to enhance the accuracy of satellite-independent inertial navigation systems.
