GAGAN is undergoing final operation phase: AAI

The GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation system, aimed at making Indian skies safer, is undergoing the final operation phase which will be over in the next three years before it is commissioned.

The GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system, aimed at making Indian skies safer, is undergoing the final operation phase which will be over in the next three years before it is commissioned.

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"The GAGAN project is currently undergoing the final operation phase since June last year and is scheduled to be completed by June 2013," an official from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said.

The AAI, in collaboration with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is developing and implementing this state-of-the-art satellite-based navigation system.

Once operational, GAGAN project would provide augmented information for satellite navigation to aircraft flying over Indian airspace and the routes over the high seas with high level of accuracy, integrity and continuity at all phases of flight operations, he added.

"The system is being implemented in a phased manner. The first phase of technical demonstration got over in August 2007," he said.

The Flight Management System (FMS), based on GAGAN, will also help the operators to save time and money by managing climb, descent and engine performance profiles of aircraft.

GAGAN also aims to enhance reliability and reduce delays by defining more precise terminal area procedures that feature parallel routes and environmentally optimised airspace corridors.

After its final operational phase completion, GAGAN, the estimated cost of which is Rs 774 crore, will be compatible with other Space Based Augmentation System such as the Wide Area Augmentation System of the US, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service and the Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System of Japan and will provide seamless air navigation service across regional boundaries.

India would become the fourth country in the world to adopt this system which would enhance the accuracy and integrity of GPS signals to meet precision approach requirements in the civil aviation, the official said.