A Ryanair flight from Luton Airport to Vilnius, Lithuania, was forced to divert after encountering GPS signal interference near the Russian border on Thursday.
The plane, which had already begun its descent, made an emergency landing in Warsaw, Poland, approximately 400km away from its intended destination.
A spokesperson for Lithuania’s air navigation service confirmed the issue, noting that the interference was specific to this flight, as “all other planes were landing at the airport as usual.”
This incident has raised concerns, as both Estonia and Finland, countries bordering Russia, previously accused the nation of jamming GPS devices in the region’s airspace. Lithuania’s Defence Minister has launched an investigation into the matter, which occurred close to the NATO border.
Over the past three months, Lithuania has recorded more than 800 instances of GPS interference, a significant increase compared to the 124 incidents in the same period in 2023, according to Lithuanian air navigation authorities. Similar reports have emerged from Estonia and Finland, with some Finnish airports resorting to radio equipment to mitigate the issue.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, alleged Russian GPS interference has reportedly impacted around 4,000 British flights. Despite the rising concerns, the Russian government has denied any involvement in the disruptions.
The emergency diversion marks the latest in a growing number of incidents raising alarms about aviation safety and regional security in airspace near Russian borders.
