Russian GPS Interference Norway: Widerøe Flight Forced to Abort During Zapad-2025

A wall of invisible signals just forced a passenger jet to turn back. In September 2025, a Widerøe Airlines flight attempting to land in Vardø, Norway, suddenly lost its GPS guidance just 40 miles from the Russian border. With low visibility and a mountain-filled landscape, the pilots were blinded by electronic interference.

Russian GPS Interference Norway Aviation Risks

The outage wasn't a technical glitch; it was a side effect of geopolitics. The flight took off during Russia's Zapad-2025 war games, a massive military exercise simulating conflict with the West. European officials suspect Russian forces deployed signal-smashing technology—a tactic typically reserved for active combat—across the fjord from Vardø.

Navigational Warfare in the Arctic

Without space-based guidance, the plane couldn't safely navigate the cloudy approach. It was forced to divert to Båtsfjord, a fishing village further down the coast. While Russia has historically denied allegations of GPS interference, European authorities noted that jamming was frequent in the run-up to the exercise. This incident underscores how electronic warfare is increasingly bleeding into civilian infrastructure, turning routine travel into a high-stakes gamble.