Tartu Airport Shutdown: Finnair Flights Halted Due to Hybrid Attack
Finnair halts monthly Helsinki-Tartu airline services due to hybrid assault on the airport by Russia.
In an unexpected turn of events, Finnair has announced a month-long suspension of its daily flights between Helsinki and Tartu, Estonia, starting from April 29 to May 31. The primary reason is the need to implement a GPS-independent landing solution at Tartu airport, owing to repeated hybrid attacks by an unidentified source.
Last weekend's incidents with two Finnair flights highlight the urgency of the situation. Both planes, departing from Helsinki, were unable to land in Tartu due to GPS signal disruptions. These disruptions forced the planes to return to Finland. On the night between Friday and Saturday, the aircraft abandoned its landing attempt over Paide, while the second time, it hovered close to Põltsamaa before returning to Helsinki, resulting in cancellations of flights departing from Tartu to Helsinki on both mornings.
A new chapter in hybrid warfare
The foreign ministers of Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius have warned that the GPS signal interference, a part of Russia's hostile activities, could potentially lead to a catastrophic plane crash if left unchecked. The foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania told the Financial Times that GPS jamming across the Baltics has escalated in recent weeks.
The Estonian foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, characterized the GPS jamming at Tartu airport as a Russian hybrid attack. "We view what's happening to GPS as part of Russia's hostile activities. We will certainly discuss it with our allies. Such actions are a hybrid attack and a threat to our people and security, and we will not tolerate them," Tsahkna stated.
Gabrielius Landsbergis, the foreign minister of Lithuania, added, "If someone turns off your headlights while you're driving at night, it gets dangerous. Things in the Baltic region near Russian borders are now getting too dangerous to ignore."
A closer look at hybrid warfare and its implications
The disruptions at Tartu Airport are a concerning example of hybrid warfare, a strategy that combines traditional military tactics with non-traditional actions, such as information warfare and cyber attacks, to achieve strategic objectives without formally declaring war.
In this context, the GPS interference can be seen as part of a multifaceted strategy aimed at disrupting operations, creating uncertainty, and testing the resilience of neighboring states' systems without engaging in open military conflict. However, it's crucial to emphasize that attributing specific intentions or categorizing these activities as a full-scale hybrid attack requires further strategic analysis and confirmation from official sources.
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Resources:
[1] BBC News - Russia accused of jamming GPS signals in Estonia[2] The Guardian - Russia's GPS jamming in Estonia risks causing serious accidents, say ministers[3] NPR - GPS Interference At Tartu Airport – What You Need To Know[4] New York Times - GPS Jamming: A Global Concern for Air Travel[5] Reuters - Russia's ongoing GPS jamming: A threat to civil aviation and regional security
- The suspension of Finnair flights between Helsinki and Tartu, Estonia, for a month, starting from April 29 to May 31, was announced due to repeated hybrid attacks that affected the GPS signals at Tartu airport.
- The foreign ministers of Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius have issued a warning about the potential dangers of GPS signal interference, which they consider a part of Russia's hostile activities.
- Estonian Foreign Minister, Margus Tsahkna, described the GPS jamming at Tartu airport as a Russian hybrid attack, stating that such actions pose a threat to their people and security.
- Gabrielius Landsbergis, the foreign minister of Lithuania, compared the GPS interference to someone turning off headlights while driving at night, emphasizing that things in the Baltic region are getting too dangerous to ignore.
- The disruptions at Tartu Airport are an example of hybrid warfare, a strategy that combines traditional military tactics with non-traditional actions like information warfare and cyber attacks to achieve strategic objectives without declaring war.
- The GPS interference can be seen as part of a multifaceted strategy aimed at disrupting operations, creating uncertainty, and testing the resilience of neighboring states' systems without engaging in open military conflict.
- The aviation industry and the broadertransportation sector must remain vigilant and strengthen their security measures to protect against future attempts at GPS jamming and other forms of hybrid warfare, especially as they continue to rely heavily on GPS technology for navigation and safety purposes.
