Qatar Airways Flight QR630 Did Not Divert to Jammu; GPS Glitch Caused False Tracking Data, Sialkot Airport Confirms
Why It MattersRecurring GPS spoofing incidents around Sialkot and Lahore highlight a growing regional navigation-data integrity risk that flight-tracking services and crews must account for.
A Qatar Airways flight operating from Doha to Sialkot sparked confusion after flight-tracking platforms, including FlightRadar24, displayed flight QR630 as diverting towards Jammu rather than its scheduled destination. The aircraft in fact landed normally at Sialkot International Airport on September 27 and subsequently departed for Doha as planned.
Sialkot International Airport issued a statement confirming the safe arrival. Airport spokesperson Umair Khan attributed the misleading tracking data to a technical glitch and faulty GPS information, not an actual diversion. Experts noted that the proximity of Sialkot and Jammu — approximately 40 kilometres apart — may have contributed to the erroneous display when location data became unreliable, and emphasised that such tracking discrepancies do not necessarily indicate any problem with the aircraft's own onboard navigation systems.
The QR630 incident is not isolated. In June, multiple flights approaching Sialkot were also shown at incorrect locations on tracking platforms despite landing normally, including a Dubai-Sialkot service displayed as diverting toward Jammu and flights from Sharjah and Dubai showing incorrect positions during approach. Comparable tracking anomalies have been reported for flights operating into Lahore. The disruptions are consistent with GPS spoofing, a form of electronic interference in which counterfeit satellite signals stronger than genuine ones are transmitted to deceive navigation systems, a scenario considered more hazardous than simple jamming because flight crews may initially accept the false data as accurate.
