India’s Airports Authority Implementing GPS-Based System

In the summer of 2013 India’s Airports Authority instituted employee training on the country’s $118 million GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation system, also known as GAGAN.

GAGAN, as its name implies, utilizes GPS-based technology to manage air traffic. According to its creators, GAGAN will make airplanes’ use of fuel more efficient by managing various aspects of flights, such as the rate and angle of a plane’s climb and descent. It will help improve safety by giving information to pilots and ground crew regardless of weather conditions. It will also improve pilots’ and passengers’ welfare by helping direct air traffic, keeping planes in flight on their appropriate paths and thus cutting down on the number of plane-to-plane crashes.

Another safety feature that GAGAN offers is a three-dimensional computerized view of terrain, helping pilots avoid flying into mountains, bodies of water, and so on. Two airports where this GPS technology will be extremely helpful will be Mangalore and Leh, because of their difficult terrain and difficult-to-predict weather patterns. Once fully operational, the plan is for GAGAN to be available to nearly 500 Indian airports, both civilian and noncivilian.

GAGAN was initiated in 2004. Since then it has undergone three phases: demonstration, installation, and testing. Remaining phases include system certification by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and development of procedures based on airports’ needs. Other steps, according to the Airports Authority of India, include the rollout of “a non precision approach service” in the fourth quarter of 2013, followed by an “approach with vertical guidance system” early in 2014.

The Airports Authority of India began staff training on the new system in July 2013. They held a three-day conference in Allahabad’s Civil Aviation Training College. More than 30 officials from across India learned about the program. The next step is for the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to develop procedures that airports must follow. The DGCA also noted that aircraft that utilize the GAGAN system must have Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems (S-BAS) installed so that they can access this GPS-based technology.

India’s goal is to have GAGAN fully operational in 2014. When completed, the system will cover a vast section of the Eastern Hemisphere, including all of India, much of Asia, and even portions of Africa and Australia.

Google+
India’s Airports Authority Implementing GPS-Based System