Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Monday launched the GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system, which will offer seamless navigation to the aviation industry.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) developed the system, at a cost of Rs. 774 crore, over 15 years. India is the fourth country to offer space-based satellite navigation services to the aviation sector. The system also bridges the gap in the coverage areas of the European Union’s European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) and Japan’s Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS).
GAGAN will provide augmentation service for the GPS over the country, the Bay of Bengal, South East Asia and Middle East and up to Africa. Some of its benefits are improved efficiency, direct routes, increased fuel savings, approach with vertical guidance at runways, significant cost savings because of the withdrawal of ground aids and reduced workload of flight crew and air traffic controllers, ISRO officials said.
The guided approach landing with the help of GAGAN would immediately benefit nearly 50 airports in India, said R.N. Choubey, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation.
He said the system would be available for the member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
However, the aircraft now being used by Indian operators are not compatible with GAGAN, Director-General of Civil Aviation M. Sathiyavathy said. “The Ministry is in talks with the industry, and let us see how best the new system can be put to use,” she said.
A.S. Ganeshan, project director, GAGAN, ISRO Satellite Centre, said South Korea and Japan were interested in the system.
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