The NSA is looking into a possible cyberattack that caused flights at Delhi Airport to stop
The NSA is investigating a potential cyberattack that disrupted flight operations at Delhi Airport.
An Investigation into the Core of India’s Aviation System for National Security
A high-level investigation into a possible GPS spoofing attack that interfered with flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport earlier this week has been initiated by the Office of the National Security Advisor (NSA), under the direction of Ajit Doval. Officials verified that the anomaly briefly stopped airplane operations by severely impairing the Airport Management Support System’s (AMSS) communication and navigation capabilities.
Major domestic carriers, including IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air, as well as international airlines like British Airways and Lufthansa, were impacted by the several-hour interruption. Even though the problem was fixed in a single day, it revealed a crucial weakness in India’s aviation security system, which is becoming more susceptible to technical and cyberattacks.
Automation Under Stress: The AMSS Breakdown
According to preliminary findings, interference in the automated systems controlling GPS tracking and air traffic coordination was the cause of the problem. A vital component of contemporary airport operations, the AMSS synchronizes flight management software, navigation data, and weather inputs. A disruption can spread quickly through radar, communication, and control networks, regardless of whether it is the result of a cyberattack or a system overload.
Passengers experienced turmoil on the ground as a result of the issue, including missed connections, delayed departures, and an abrupt loss of real-time flight data visibility. As flight traffic rises to pre-pandemic levels, it highlights a more serious issue for aviation authorities: the increasing burden on India’s automated systems.
Warnings Ignored: A Parliamentary Report’s Stark Findings
Just two months had passed since a parliamentary committee warned of “performance degradation” in India’s aviation automation systems. Slowness, lag, and system inefficiencies at major airports, such as Delhi and Mumbai, were noted in the 380th report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture, which was presented on August 20.
The committee issued a warning that flight safety could be compromised by these technical constraints as well as antiquated air traffic control (ATC) equipment. It also emphasized the slow pace of modernization, growing controller fatigue, and persistent labor shortages — all of which have caused India’s aviation systems to lag behind international standards.
Global Standards, Local Gaps
India’s aviation industry, which is among the fastest-growing in the world, has had difficulty bringing its safety infrastructure into compliance with global norms. Experts caution that digital weaknesses, particularly cyber interference like GPS spoofing, offer a new frontier of danger, even though the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has expedited modernization programs under its Air Navigation Services Roadmap.
The Delhi event, which is currently being investigated by the NSA, represents a turning point. In a digital age where the skies are as much about networks as they are about airways, it is no longer just about technical resilience but also about national security readiness.
About The Author:
Yogesh Naager is a content marketer who specializes in the cybersecurity and B2B space. Besides writing for the News4Hackers blogs, he also writes for brands including Craw Security, Bytecode Security, and NASSCOM.
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