GPS Interference Disrupts More Than 700 Daily Flights Across the Gulf

Electronic interference is now affecting hundreds of flights a day across Gulf airspace, adding a new layer of operational risk for airlines already coping with rerouting pressures and regional instability, Arabian Business reports

GPS interference is affecting more than 700 flights a day across the Gulf region, according to Arabian Business, citing exclusive data from Switzerland-based SkAI Data Services. The company said a substantial share of regional air traffic has been exposed to spoofing activity since the conflict involving Iran escalated on February 28.

According to the report, the disruption is being tracked through SkAI’s GPSwise platform, which monitors interference affecting aircraft navigation. The issue is emerging as a serious concern for airlines and aviation authorities because GPS spoofing can distort an aircraft’s perceived position and place additional pressure on crews operating in already congested and disrupted air corridors.

The Arabian Business report comes as wider aviation risks in the region remain elevated. Reuters reported today that Europe’s aviation safety agency has warned about growing pressure on flight corridors, drone-related threats and GPS disruption linked to current conflicts, while also extending its advisory against flights over Iran, Israel and parts of the Gulf through April 10.

For Gulf aviation, the development highlights how regional conflict is no longer affecting air travel only through closures, cancellations and rerouting, but also through electronic interference that can undermine navigation resilience across one of the world’s busiest long-haul transit regions. Reuters has separately reported that Gulf carriers are still recovering only slowly from the operational fallout of the conflict.