Days After Two Fatal Crashes, Ryanair Flight To Vienna Diverted Due To Reported GPS Jamming Over Poland (UPDATED)

Editor’s Note: The article has been updated with comments from Ryan Air

A RyanAir Holdings plc RYAAY flight en route from Riga to Vienna had to divert reportedly due to interference with its GPS signal over Poland.

What Happened: A RyanAir flight from Riga to Vienna was forced to divert due to GPS signal interference over Poland, as reported by Die Presse on Tuesday. The flight, identified as FR 748, attempted to land in Vienna twice but was unsuccessful.

The captain of the Airbus A320 announced minor technical issues, causing unrest among passengers. Eventually, the aircraft landed safely in Brno, Czech Republic, where the captain explained that the GPS disruption was linked to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, a frequent occurrence in the region.

See Also: Donald Trump Claims Black Celebrities Were Paid for Kamala Harris Endorsements

Due to poor visibility, a safe landing in Vienna was not possible without precise positioning, as reported by Die Presse. The weather conditions in Brno were more favorable, allowing for a safe landing, which was met with applause from relieved passengers.

However, the technical issue could not be resolved at Brno airport, necessitating the transport of passengers to Vienna by bus.

“Flight FR748 from Riga to Vienna yesterday Mon 30 Dec diverted to Bruno due to a minor tech issue with the GPS system combined with low visibility (fog) at Vienna. The aircraft landed normally at Bruno at 22.52 local, where there was no issue with visibility, and passengers were transported by coach to Vienna. We sincerely apologise to passengers for any inconvenience caused as a result of this diversion,” a spokesperson from Ryan Air told Benzinga.

Airbus has yet to respond to Benzinga’s queries.

Why It Matters: The incident involving RyanAir’s flight FR 748 comes just days after an Azerbaijan Airlines flight experienced “external interference” over Russia, leading to a fatal crash in Kazakhstan. The aircraft, a Brazilian-made Embraer 190, was diverted due to damage sustained during the flight, resulting in 38 casualties. Passengers reported hearing blasts, raising concerns about regional air defense systems.

Additionally, another tragic incident occurred at South Korea’s Muan International Airport, where a Jeju Air flight crashed during landing, killing several passengers. The B737-800 aircraft collided with the airport's outer runway wall, causing the plane to break apart and subsequently catch fire. The plane was carrying a total of 175 passengers and six crew members.

Read Next: 

• Massive Data Breach Exposes Millions of Credit and Debit Cards—Is Your Account Safe?

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Image via Shutterstock