IndiGo first to use indigenous navigation system for landing

New Delhi, April 28

IndiGo today said it had become the first airline in the country to land its aircraft using the indigenous navigation system GAGAN.

GAGAN equipment

• GAGAN (GPS-aided geo-augmented navigation) has been developed by AAI and ISRO
• Is used to provide lateral and vertical guidance as an aircraft approaches runway for landing
• Its precision is especially useful at small airports

IndiGo said the flight was conducted using an ATR-72 aircraft and landed at the Kishangarh airport in Rajasthan on Wednesday morning, using GPS-aided geo-augmented navigation (GAGAN), which had been jointly developed by the Centre-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

GAGAN is used to provide lateral and vertical guidance when an aircraft is approaching a runway for landing.

Its precision is especially useful at small airports where the instrument landing system (ILS) has not been installed.

“In India’s civil aviation sector, GAGAN will modernise the airspace, reduce flight delays, save fuel and improve flight safety,” IndiGo said in the statement.

It said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued a mandate for all aircraft registered in India after July 1, 2021, to be fitted with GAGAN equipment.

According to ISRO, GAGAN GEO footprint extends from Africa to Australia and has expansion capability for seamless navigation services across the region.