Minister Ranne: GPS interference from Russia taken seriously, authorities work to ensure flight safety

Ministry of Transport and Communications
Publication date 3.5.2024 15.58 | Published in English on 10.5.2024 at 10.02
Press release
Minister of Transport and Communications Lulu Ranne. (Photo: Fanni Uusitalo/Prime Minister's Office)

GPS interference in aviation has been debated in public. The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom published a press release saying that it is safe to fly to and in Finland. Traficom is responsible for flight and aviation safety as well as for monitoring GPS interference.

Traficom is part of the administrative branch of the Ministry of Transport and Communications and is directed and guided by the Ministry.

On Friday, 3 May 2024, Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen said that the GPS interference comes from Russia. 

– We take GPS interference seriously and follow such situations closely. To ensure safety, we work in close cooperation with other central government bodies, says Minister of Transport and Communications Lulu Ranne. 

GPS interference is not a new phenomenon and it is typically observed in conflict areas. Over the course of this year, Traficom has received an increasing number of reports of GPS interference. 

– It is important to take the change in the security situation into account in aviation and its planning.  This is how we have acted and we will continue to do our part in ensuring national safety and security in the transport and communication sectors, Minister Ranne says.

Inquiries:

Requests for interviews with Minister of Transport and Communications Ranne 
Tuomas Sorsa, Special Adviser to the Minister, tel. +358 295 342 067, [email protected]  

Suvi Kankare, Senior Specialist, Legal Affairs, tel. +358 295 342105, [email protected]

Kaisa Laitinen, Director of Unit, tel. +358 295 342 608, [email protected]