site.btaAround 40% of Civil Flights in Europe Operate in Areas with Jammed Satellite Navigation, Says EU Defence Commissioner

About 40 percent of civil flights in Europe take place in zones affected by jamming and spoofing of satellite navigation signals, EU Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius told Members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday. He explained that such incidents have sharply increased since the start of the war in Ukraine, posing a major safety risk. His remarks came during a parliamentary debate on the dangers for aviation and shipping caused by the loss of GPS signals.

The Commissioner noted that the disruptions affect all Eastern European countries – both those bordering Ukraine and those along the Black Sea coast. He voiced gratitude to the pilots of the flight carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Plovdiv, pointing out that the aircraft lost satellite navigation signals an hour after departing Poland and en route to Bulgaria. Kubilius himself was also on board that flight.

“Hybrid threats are becoming the norm, but we will not accept them as normal,” he stressed. Satellite navigation, he underscored, has long been a driver of economic activity, yet its signals remain unprotected against interference. Kubilius called for a coordinated EU-wide response plan and announced that from 2026, the European Commission will introduce radio frequency spectrum monitoring to detect and trace jamming attempts.

He further noted that the European Galileo global navigation satellite system will soon be equipped with additional anti-jamming safeguards. In parallel, work is underway on backup navigation systems designed to help aviation overcome the consequences of satellite signal interference, Kubilius added.