Poland Accuses Russia of GPS Interference on Flight from Alicante-Elche Airport

On Monday, a Ryanair flight to Poland from Alicante-Elche airport had to be diverted. The plane was heading to the Polish city of Bydgoszcz, one of the airline's new routes. However, due to GPS issues, it had to land in Poznan.

On Tuesday, Poland pointed to Russia as the cause of this problem. This was stated by the Minister of Interior, Tomasz Siemoniak, on the Polish news channel 'Polsat News'. Siemoniak identified Russia as responsible for continuous GPS signal interference in the country.

The minister expressed concern about the situation, which "affects the safety and operation of our facilities and military units." The Polish government has recorded several interferences in guidance systems in the north of the country. When asked about the cause of these anomalies, Siemoniak directly pointed to the neighbouring country: "There is no doubt that Russia has something to do with this."

During the interview with the Polish government representative, Siemoniak recalled that these issues have also been reported in Baltic Sea countries: "This problem not only affects Poland but also allied countries operating aircraft and ships in the area where the fault has been located."

The Polish government is working on the country's air security, a topic that, according to the minister on television, "we treat with extreme seriousness," although he did not want to give more details about the activities they carry out regarding these continuous interferences.

Several local media outlets in Poland have been warning about interference in guidance systems. In fact, they reported weeks ago that several users in northern Polish towns have had problems flying drones, losing their signal.

However, the minister spoke on Polish television following the diversion of this flight departing from Alicante, which was supposed to land in Bydgoszcz, in the north of the country. The pilot was forced to divert the aircraft to Poznan, one of the towns located in central Poland, as detailed by Bydgoszcz airport itself.