Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju today formally launched the GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system, which would make airline operations more efficient and cut down costs as it reduces separation between aircraft, increase air safety and fuel efficiency.
The new system will provide augmentation service for GPS over the country, Bay of Bengal, south east Asia and Middle East expanding up to Africa.
Ministry of Civil Aviation would encourage states and other ministries to avail the GAGAN system as its use is just not confined to aviation, both civil and military, purposes, but in other areas such as surface transport and agriculture among others, Raju said after the launch.
Jointly developed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Airports Authority of India (AAI), at an investment of Rs 774 crore, the new system will offer seamless navigation to the aviation industry.
Since February 14 last year, it has been continuously providing navigation signals from GSAT-8 and GSAT-10 satellites launched by ISRO, augmenting the performance of GPS signals received over Indian airspace.
The benefits of GAGAN include improved efficiency, direct routes, increased fuel savings, approach with vertical guidance at runways, significant cost savings due to withdrawal of ground aids and reduced workload of flight crew and Air Traffic Controllers.
GAGAN implementation will immediately benefit 50 operational airports in the country, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey said, adding this air navigation can be used by all SAARC countries.
Director General of Civil Aviation M Sathiyavathy and Airports Authority of India Chairman R K Srivastava were also present at the launch function.
According to the Ministry, GAGAN is the first SBAS (Satellite Based Augmentation System) in the world certified for Approach with Vertical Guidance operating in the Equatorial Ionospheric region and the third SBAS to have achieved this feat, after WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) of the USA and EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) of Europe.
