Finnair is training pilots to operate in the event of GPS disruptions in the Baltic region — Reuters

The Finnish airline Finnair has adapted its pilot training in response to recurring GPS disruptions in the Baltic region. The company has also modified some of its operational procedures to account for these conditions during flights.

 

Turkka Kuusisto, the airline’s CEO, discussed this in an interview with Reuters.

The problem of GPS disruptions has been growing in scale since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. European airlines operating flights near NATO’s eastern flank are facing similar challenges.

“Our pilots are primarily trained to operate in airspace where we encounter GPS interference, as this is a daily challenge,” said Kuusisto.

This year, the level of interference in the Baltic region has increased sharply. The Polish Institute of Communications reported in August that GPS signals and those of other satellite navigation systems along the Polish Baltic Sea coast were disrupted almost daily throughout the summer.

In 2024, Finnair was forced to suspend flights to Tartu in eastern Estonia for about a month after GPS interference in the area prevented its planes from making a safe approach.

Although modern aircraft can continue to operate safely using several backup navigation systems, Kuusisto noted that the scale of the interference has expanded significantly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, particularly over the Baltic Sea.

“When I spoke with some CEOs who aren’t as active in Europe, they noted that this isn’t an issue in North America or Australia,” Kuusisto said.

According to him, his interlocutors are “a little surprised that this is a daily problem.”

“But when they learn that we can also operate flights and that our pilots have undergone the necessary training, they actually show a great deal of interest,” Kuusisto added.

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