JERUSALEM – According to Israel’s national airline, El Al, “enemy forces” have tried to trick planes into flying over Somalia on two occasions. But it’s not just a problem for El Al.
El Al’s Boeing 787 was over Somalia. He took off from Phuket, Thailand on Saturday evening (February 17) and headed for Tel Aviv. The cockpit crew communicated by radio with air traffic control about the next route. And suddenly this route became suspicious. The crew therefore decided to change the communication channel and discovered that someone had maliciously tried to divert the plane from its route.
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Ryanair aircraft during landing, taxiing and take-off (Source: Ryanair)
Something like this has happened at El Al twice in recent days, the airline reported to various Israeli media outlets. The former head of Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority provided more details to the Jerusalem Post. “It was a communication breakdown from someone who was in contact with the plane. I don’t know exactly what was said or how it was said.” Avner Yarkoni explains. But the way the person spoke made the crew suspicious.
Incorrect instructions
The El AL crew received instructions that differed from their established route. The crew ignored the instructions and switched to alternative means of communication. She also checked the data with other air traffic controllers and realized that they were trying to mislead her.
According to El Al, the same thing happened to another plane that was on its way from Tel Aviv to Bangkok – also via Somalia. A source close to El Al told The Jerusalem Post that there have been communication problems in Somalia all week, and not just for El Al planes.
The authorities issued a warning
Authorities have instructed crews to be cautious on a certain frequency and switch to another method of communication when in doubt. El Al’s official statement also stated that there were no specific attacks on Israeli aircraft. It is not clear who is behind the attacks.
This appears to be a different issue than so-called GPS spoofing, which has also plagued the industry for some time. In the worst case scenario, false GPS data will cause the aircraft to veer off course.
2024-02-20 20:59:00
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