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In what seems to be an ever-riskier world, pilots are having to rely on technology that can sometimes produce risky results, as GPS jamming and spoofing incidents climb in frequency and spread to new regions worldwide amidst a broadening geopolitical battlefield.To help in that mission, the FAA recently released version 1.1 of its GPS and Global Navigation Satellite System Interference Resource Guide, first published in December 2025.The rate of GPS signal loss per 1,000 flights jumped 65% in the first half of 2024 over the same period in 2023, according to the FAA. The problem is no longer confined to war zones — it's expanding, and it's reaching flights that have no business being near a conflict.The report covers eight primary hot spots on the globe: the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, Russia and the Baltic region, the India-Pakistan border, Iraq and Iran, the Korean Peninsula and areas around Beijing.The list of hot spots continues to grow, and NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen described the problem as rising."Not only in frequency, but in the number of affected hot-spot locations outside the U.S.," he said. "We see this not just in the data, but in the anecdotal evidence regularly emerging in the alerts and other warning flags from air navigation service providers globally."The NBAA contributed to the revision through its membership on the FAA's Performance Based Operations Rulemaking Committee GPS/GNSS Disruption Action Team. Pilots, operators and avionics manufacturers are all named audiences for the updated guidance."Because this version is so significantly revised, stakeholders familiar with the previous version should review the new guide and implement recommendations appropriate to their operation," said Richard Boll, chair of NBAA's Airspace and Flight Technologies Subcommittee.He also urged aviators to be the eyes and ears for regulators."It is critical that pilots and operators report any suspected GPS/GNSS interference, jamming and spoofing incidents to the FAA," he said. "The FAA and other agencies take these reports seriously."View the updated guide through the FAA here.Where GPS spoofing is most frequentWhile the worst concentrations sit around active conflict zones, interference routinely bleeds hundreds of miles beyond front lines. Last year, Cyprus logged more than 5,600 spoofing incidents in two months, the highest of any airspace region tracked. Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan are all vulnerable.The issue isn't limited to international operations. Domestic airspace carries risk as well. In 2022, numerous aircraft reported unreliable GNSS near Denver International Airport (DEN), traced to an unauthorized transmitter broadcasting on the GNSS frequency. It disrupted civilian flights, air traffic control and other GNSS-dependent systems. Faulty commercial equipment and inadvertent reradiated signals from avionics repair shops near airports can trigger similar problems anywhere, Boll noted.Business aviation's expanding global footprint amplifies the exposure. International missions have trended upward steadily, and the NBAA has worked through government-industry groups to assess how disruptions affect operators, which systems are most vulnerable and how flight crews respond in real-world scenarios.PREVIOUS STORIES:
FAA warns airlines of potential military activity in Latin America Aviation associations call for action against GPS jamming and spoofingWhat's being done to mitigate GPS spoofing in aviationIn September 2025, eight aviation organizations, including the NBAA, AOPA, ALPA and Airlines for America, sent a joint letter to the departments of Defense and Transportation urging GPS modernization. Their concerns included satellite life spans, delayed ground system upgrades and the absence of counter-spoofing capabilities. According to the GPS Innovation Alliance, GPS has contributed more than $1.4 trillion to the U.S. economy and underpins more than 6 billion devices and receivers worldwide.The threat has migrated closer to U.S. airspace. In January, the FAA issued NOTAMs advising caution over Mexico, Central America, parts of South America and portions of the Pacific Ocean, citing potential military activity and GNSS disruption.The notices followed months of U.S. military operations in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific targeting drug-trafficking vessels. View this post on Instagram A post shared by GlobalAir.com (@globalaircom)
That broader erosion of situational awareness has already shown up in close calls. A JetBlue Airbus A320 near Venezuela came within dangerous proximity of a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker in December after it entered the airliner's flight path at the same altitude without a transponder. U.S.-registered civilian aircraft are now banned from the country's airspace. That radio exchange remains among the most widely viewed pieces of media published by GlobalAir.com, drawing roughly 4 million video views across social platforms in three months — a reflection of how quickly routine operations can turn uncertain in a shifting operational environment.