In an unusual and concerning incident, an Air India Express flight en route from Delhi to Jammu was forced to return to Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday due to suspected GPS spoofing near India's border region.

Carrying 160 passengers, the flight reportedly reached Jammu’s airspace but was unable to land and began circling the area before flying back to Delhi. A replacement flight was arranged approximately six hours later, and passengers reached Jammu significantly behind schedule.

Spoofing involves intentional manipulation of GPS signals — vital for aircraft navigation — leading the aircraft to incorrect or misleading locations. Flight No. IX 2564, operated on an Airbus A320, departed from Terminal 3 at 11:05 am and returned at 1:28 pm, according to flight tracking platform Flightaware.

An Air India Express spokesperson stated, “Our Delhi–Jammu flight returned to Delhi as a precautionary measure, following a suspected GPS interference incident. Subsequently, an alternative flight was organised to connect guests to Jammu. We regret the inconvenience caused. Instances of GPS signal interference have been reported by operators while flying over certain sensitive regions.”

Given the aircraft’s proximity to Pakistan, the pilot is believed to have opted for a precautionary return rather than risk a deviation into potentially hostile airspace.

Aviation expert Captain Mohan Ranganthan noted, “For the last two years, there have been reports of GPS spoofing in places like Pakistan, Iran, some parts of the Middle East and even Myanmar. It often happens in war zones. This kind of spoofing is done deliberately but we cannot say for sure who is involved in it.”

The incident adds to growing global concerns around aviation safety in geopolitically sensitive regions.