GPS disruption forces some Jakarta-bound flights to switch navigation methods
AirNav Indonesia said ground-based systems kept landings safe, but changes to navigation procedures lengthened queues for some flights.
Some aircraft arriving from the Middle East continued to experience GPS disruption until landing in Jakarta, requiring a switch to ground-based navigation, according to AirNav Indonesia. Its director of security, safety and standardisation, Nurtjahjo Utomo, said the incidents occurred after the US-Iran conflict began.
Speaking at a transport journalists’ forum workshop in Bandung on 2 October 2026, Nurtjahjo said affected flights could not use satellite-dependent RNP approach procedures. Pilots instead requested ILS approaches, which guide aircraft towards landing using radio signals transmitted by equipment on the ground.
GPS interference was also subsequently recorded in airspace around Jakarta. Nurtjahjo said AirNav could not identify its source and was logging the incidents while adapting navigation services. He stressed that disruption to GPS did not leave aircraft without other means of navigation, as ground-based systems remained available.
Nurtjahjo said the alternative procedures maintained flight safety, although they complicated air traffic management when traffic was heavy. Some flights faced longer queues as a result, he said, describing the impact as an issue of traffic management rather than a loss of safety.
