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Lead Editor-Newsgathering
GPS disruptions affecting aircraft operating in and around Piarco International Airport have been linked to escalating military tensions in the southern Caribbean, according to a report published by The New York Times over the weekend.
The report stated that pilots from Caribbean Airlines and Copa Airlines alerted air traffic controllers that their navigation systems were being jammed, forcing controllers to guide aircraft by radar to ensure safe landings.
“A pilot of a different commercial flight that day, operated by Caribbean Airlines, bluntly told an air traffic controller that his navigation systems were being jammed before asking to be guided into Trinidad,” the report stated.
The Times linked the interference to an intensifying stand-off between the United States and Venezuela, with both militaries reportedly jamming satellite navigation signals across parts of the Caribbean.
US warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford, have been operating in the region as part of anti-narcotics missions targeting Venezuelan-linked trafficking networks. At the same time, Venezuelan forces are reported to be jamming GPS signals near military bases, oil refineries and power plants.
Data from Stanford University and satellite analytics firm Spire Global, cited by the Times, indicate that roughly one in five flights operating in the Caribbean has experienced GPS disruptions since early September. Radio frequency expert Logan Scott told the newspaper the jamming was “defensive in nature” but said civilian aviation and maritime traffic were being affected as a spillover consequence.
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued advisories to pilots operating near Venezuela and Puerto Rico, warning of increased state aircraft activity and intermittent GPS outages. Pilots across the region have reported temporary loss of GPS signals, sometimes requiring reliance on radar guidance or visual navigation.
According to aviation tracking platform FlightRadar24, GPS jamming involves the deliberate transmission of signals to block or overpower legitimate GPS signals, while GPS interference refers to unintentional disruptions caused by electromagnetic activity, atmospheric conditions or solar events. Both can compromise aircraft navigation, particularly during critical phases such as landing or low-visibility operations, although pilots are trained to rely on redundant systems when GPS signals are lost.
Guardian Media has requested comment from the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation on the latest New York Times report. Questions have also been sent to Caribbean Airlines, Copa Airlines and the Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots Association regarding reported GPS disruptions and the protocols in place to manage such incidents. Airports Authority officials directed questions to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
The report comes amid heightened scrutiny of US military activity near Trinidad and Tobago. The Times also disclosed that multiple US military drones were detected flying above and around T&T in October, including at least one flight directly over the country. Mapping data shared with Guardian Media showed about 15 instances in which drones believed to be MQ-9A Reapers travelled within T&T’s airspace, at times approaching the maritime border with Venezuela.
The data also showed drones flying northwest of Trinidad, just off Venezuela’s Sucre State. On October 15, one suspected US drone was detected less than 10 miles off Trinidad’s western coast in the Gulf of Paria, while another was recorded flying over Longdenville on the same day.
Following those revelations, Guardian Media submitted Freedom of Information requests to the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation seeking air traffic control transcripts, flight logs, and records relating to foreign military aircraft operating in T&T airspace between October 1 and 31.
Earlier this month, the ministry said it required an additional 30 days to respond, citing the need to review relevant records. A similar FOIA request was sent to the Ministry of Defence, which has not acknowledged receipt of the request, contrary to the law.
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