Second Finnair flight turns back from Tartu due to GPS interference

Cyber & Information WarfareCyber AttacksAttacks on critical infrastructure (energy, transport, hospitals)

Aggressor

Summary

On April 26, 2024, a second Finnair flight from Helsinki to Tartu aborted its landing and returned due to deliberate GPS interference disrupting navigation at Tartu Airport.

On the night of April 26, 2024, a Finnair flight en route from Helsinki to Tartu was compelled to turn back after encountering GPS jamming near Tartu Airport, preventing a safe landing. This was the second such incident within two days, strongly indicating intentional hybrid interference, believed to be by Russian actors, who aim to disrupt Estonian and regional navigation infrastructure. The GPS jamming affects not only air travel but also challenges ground air traffic control operations. Restoring full service at Tartu Airport may take months. Finnair has consequently halted flights to Tartu for at least a month while searching for viable technical solutions. Officials confirm the attacks as deliberate hybrid warfare, impacting civilian aviation safety and infrastructure in Estonia.

Classification

Confidence: High

The report details a second Finnair flight aborting landing due to deliberate GPS interference attributed to Russian hybrid warfare targeting navigation infrastructure at Tartu Airport. The primary subject is the hostile GPS jamming incident itself, not the defensive responses, so HYBRID_SIGNAL is appropriate.

Source URL

https://news.err.ee/1609326360/second-finnair-flight-turns-back-from-tartu-due-to-gps-interference&app_id=726183068022802

Open source

Provenance

Publisher: csv-import
Submitted: Feb 1, 2026, 00:14 UTC
Last updated: Nov 9, 2026, 01:15 UTC
Event time: Apr 26, 2024, 00:00 UTC

Published as a hybrid-warfare signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.

Raw record

{
  "id": "13d67a0b-73d6-4262-9e88-dcd27181bc21",
  "url": "https://news.err.ee/1609326360/second-finnair-flight-turns-back-from-tartu-due-to-gps-interference&app_id=726183068022802",
  "source": "csv-import",
  "status": "approved",
  "category": "Cyber & Information Warfare",
  "subcategory": "Cyber Attacks",
  "incident_type": "Attacks on critical infrastructure (energy, transport, hospitals)",
  "country": "Estonia",
  "source_reliability": "A",
  "info_credibility": "2",
  "tags": [
    "Finnair",
    "GPS jamming",
    "Tartu Airport",
    "Estonia",
    "Hybrid warfare",
    "Russian interference",
    "air traffic disruption",
    "Air traffic control",
    "Flight diversion"
  ],
  "nodes": [
    "Node 1: Borders"
  ],
  "countries": [],
  "where_text": "Airspace",
  "headline": "Second Finnair flight turns back from Tartu due to GPS interference",
  "description": "On the night of April 26, 2024, a second Finnair flight traveling from Helsinki to Tartu, Estonia, was forced to abort its landing and return to Helsinki due to deliberate GPS interference affecting Tartu Airport. This incident follows a previous similar event the night before and is linked to hybrid attacks, suspected to be by Russia, targeting GPS signals in the region. The GPS jamming has severely impacted air traffic control operations at Tartu Airport, which may take months to fully restore, causing Finnair to suspend flights to Tartu temporarily.",
  "summary_short": "On April 26, 2024, a second Finnair flight from Helsinki to Tartu aborted its landing and returned due to deliberate GPS interference disrupting navigation at Tartu Airport.",
  "summary_extended": "On the night of April 26, 2024, a Finnair flight en route from Helsinki to Tartu was compelled to turn back after encountering GPS jamming near Tartu Airport, preventing a safe landing. This was the second such incident within two days, strongly indicating intentional hybrid interference, believed to be by Russian actors, who aim to disrupt Estonian and regional navigation infrastructure. The GPS jamming affects not only air travel but also challenges ground air traffic control operations. Restoring full service at Tartu Airport may take months. Finnair has consequently halted flights to Tartu for at least a month while searching for viable technical solutions. Officials confirm the attacks as deliberate hybrid warfare, impacting civilian aviation safety and infrastructure in Estonia.",
  "actor_primary": "Russian actors",
  "target_primary": null,
  "location_text": "Tartu Airport, Estonia",
  "location_region": "Tartu County",
  "location_coordinates_lat": null,
  "location_coordinates_lon": null,
  "location_precision": "Regional",
  "is_aggressor_signal": true,
  "signal_type": "HYBRID_SIGNAL",
  "is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
  "classification_complete": true,
  "hybrid_signal_complete": true,
  "classification_confidence": "High",
  "classification_rationale": "The report details a second Finnair flight aborting landing due to deliberate GPS interference attributed to Russian hybrid warfare targeting navigation infrastructure at Tartu Airport. The primary subject is the hostile GPS jamming incident itself, not the defensive responses, so HYBRID_SIGNAL is appropriate.",
  "event_time_utc": "2024-04-26T00:00:00.000Z",
  "end_time_utc": null,
  "event_time_confidence": "pm24h",
  "created_at": "2026-02-01T00:14:24.865Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T01:15:24.136Z",
  "reliability_band": "strong",
  "location_precision_band": "regional",
  "time_precision_band": "within_24h",
  "severity_band": "moderate",
  "attribution_confidence_band": "high",
  "attribution_basis": "single_source"
}

Public assessmentReliability: StrongSeverity: ModerateAttribution: HighSingle sourceTime: Same dayLocation: Regional

Source reliability

Info credibility

Event time

Apr 26, 2024, 00:00 UTC

Event time confidence

pm24h

Location

Tartu Airport, Estonia

Region

Tartu County

Primary actor

Russian actors

Country

Estonia

Tags

Finnair, GPS jamming, Tartu Airport, Estonia, Hybrid warfare, Russian interference, air traffic disruption, Air traffic control, Flight diversion

Nodes

Node 1: Borders

Loading signal...

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