Three airports in the eastern part of Finland will bring back the use of old-style radio navigation equipment to facilitate aircraft landings when incidents of GPS disruption are detected.
The radio-based Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) was developed in the 1960s and was widely used in the aviation industry until the advent of GPS technology.
News agency Reuters reported that Finnish authorities believe Russia is jamming GPS signals in the eastern Finland and Baltic Sea regions as Moscow seeks to protect oil ports and other critical infrastructure from Ukrainian air strikes or drones.
GPS interference has increased significantly along Finland's eastern border since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, according to Finland's Transport and Communications Agency Traficom, with incidents reported on a daily basis.
Finland's Coast Guard said last week that it has detected constant disturbances to satellite navigation signals in the Baltic Sea, leading to it having to take action to ensure stray vessels do not run aground.
The disruption to GPS signals has also led to some flights being unable to land at airports in the eastern Finland region, including a domestic flight from Helsinki to Joensuu in June, which was forced to return to Helsinki Airport after failing to land at Joensuu. There was a similar incident in August.
Moscow has denied any involvement.
According to Reuters, Joensuu and Savonlinna airports have already started using the radio navigation equipment while Lappeenranta Airport plans to begin using it as soon as possible.