For months, the GPS navigation system of aircraft above and around the Baltic Sea has been disrupted by equipment in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. That never led to major problems, until now: airline Finnair will no longer fly to the second largest city in Estonia for a month because a safe landing is no longer possible.

"To fly to Tartu airport (Estonia's second largest city, ed.), a GPS signal is used," Finnair announced. "The GPS interference, which is quite common in the area, affects the usability of this method, hindering the approach and landing. Last week, two Finnair flights had to return to Helsinki after GPS interference prevented the approach to Tartu." Until the end of May, Finnair will therefore no longer fly to Tartu. In the meantime, another approach method is being sought that does not require a GPS signal.

The disruption of the GPS signal has been a problem in the border region between Europe and Russia for some time, but the problems have increased significantly since December. The disruption is caused by a "jammer". This is electronic equipment that interferes with the radio signals of navigation systems that work with satellites, such as GPS. According to various observations, the source of this disruption is located in Russian territory. Electronic warfare is part of Russia's flexing of its muscles against Europe.

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* Origin: AVIATION ECHO HQ (2:292/854)