India issues NOTAM for Mumbai, aircraft alerted of possible GPS signal interference and signal loss

On Thursday (Nov 13), India issues a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) between November 13 to 17. It has alerted aircraft of possible GPS interference in the airspace near Mumbai. Earlier, India had issued a NOTAM between October 30 and November 10, which came days before the country was preparing for a robust tri-services Exercise, Trishul.

Defence analyst Damien Symon tweeted about the latest development. Pilots and airlines have been alerted about potential disruptions in satellite-based navigation systems. “India issues a NOTAM warning aircraft of GPS interference/loss around air traffic routes within its airspace near Mumbai. This follows reports of similar interreference observed around New Delhi.”

The drills were conducted in the western frontier region of the country, near the Sir Creek area. This particular piece of marshland is located between India’s western state of Gujarat and Pakistan’s Sindh province.

India has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for a large-scale tri-services military exercise, “Ex Trishul,” to be conducted along the Pakistan border from October 30 to November 10. The move comes amid heightened tensions between the two nations following Operation Sindoor earlier this year. This particular piece of marshland is located between India’s western state of Gujarat and Pakistan’s Sindh province. Pakistan’s airspace restrictions imposed between October 28 and 29 seemingly gave a hint of an undercurrent that has alerted the country.

28,000 feet of airspace has been reserved for the exercise. The Sir Creek region, a 96 km marshy strip between India and Pakistan, which opens into the Arabian Sea is of strategic significance.

What is NOTAM?

According to the Airports Authority of India, NOTAM or Notice to Airmen are notices distributed by means of telecommunication containing information concerning the establishment, condition or change in any aeronautical facility, service, procedure or hazard, the timely knowledge of which is essential to personnel concerned with flight operations.