GPS interference forces Finnair to suspend Tartu flights

On 29 April 2024, Finnair suspended its daily Helsinki-Tartu service after GPS interference disrupted the satellite-based approach to Tartu Airport. According to Finnair and reporting by Reuters and VOA News, two flights bound for Tartu had been forced to turn back to Helsinki days earlier when interference prevented a safe approach and landing. Tartu is among the few airports whose approach procedures rely solely on a GPS signal, with no alternative ground-based method available, leaving operations especially vulnerable when the signal is jammed or spoofed.

Finnair, the only carrier flying internationally to Tartu, announced the suspension would run until 31 May 2024 to allow an alternative, non-GPS approach solution to be put in place. Estonia's air navigation service worked to reinforce ground navigation equipment, including range-finding (DME) systems, to serve as a backup reference to GPS so flights could resume. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna characterized the GPS jamming affecting Estonian airspace as a deliberate Russian hybrid attack, warning it endangered air traffic, and said he would raise the matter at EU and NATO level. On 8 May 2024, Estonia summoned Russia's chargé d'affaires over the alleged interference, as reported by The Moscow Times. Finnair noted GPS interference in the wider region had increased since 2022.

This incident reflects a broader pattern of GNSS interference across the Baltic region that Estonia and its neighbours have assessed and publicly attributed to Russia as part of suspected hybrid activity, though it is officially treated as alleged. Some Estonian officials noted the jamming may stem from Russian force-protection measures rather than deliberate targeting of Estonia, and direct attribution rests largely on assessment rather than disclosed technical evidence. Russia did not respond to requests for comment. The episode underscores civil aviation's vulnerability to GPS-dependent approaches and the safety risks of persistent regional jamming.