Airports Authority of India to soon implement real-time surveillance system

Airports Authority of India (AAI) will soon start real time surveillance of planes flying over oceans in the Indian airspace with deployment of a new technology system.

Implementation of Space-Based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data services would fill the gap as the present ground- based infrastructure covers only terrestrial airspace and has limited coverage over oceanic regions.

On Thursday, state-owned AAI inked a contract agreement with Aireon LLC for the space-based air traffic surveillance service in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata's oceanic airspaces.

"These regions are located in the Arabian sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean and represent over 6 million square kilometres," a release said.

The system is expected to be deployed by the year-end.

"Real time air traffic surveillance over the busy routes between South East Asia, India, the Middle East and Europe and beyond will significantly increase efficiency and improve transitions between oceanic and domestic airspace," the release said.

Existing surveillance technology comprises of a network of 30 radars and 31 ground based ADS-B at strategic locations across the landmass that collects real time information about where planes are flying.

The new system would be implemented through a constellation of satellites with 64 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites with inter- satellite links.

"AAI will be the first air navigation service provider in the region to implement a technological initiative, on this scale, and offer enhanced air traffic surveillance services to its users," AAI Chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra said.

India would join 26 other countries that are actively deploying Aireon's Space-based ADS-B for air traffic surveillance.