Govt delays Gagan-equipped aircraft commissioning to Jun 2020

The government has extended the deadline for Gagan system-equipped aircraft to June 2020 following lack of preparedness on the part of the domestic air operators.

The National Civil Aviation Policy, announced in 2015, had made it mandatory for all aircraft being registered from January 1, 2019 to be GPS-aided geo augmented navigation (Gagan) system-enabled.

The Gagan system is expected to make airline operations more efficient and cut costs as it reduces separation between aircraft with increase in air safety and fuel efficiency.

Jointly developed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Airports Authority of India (AAI), at an investment of Rs 774 crore, the system offers seamless navigation to the aviation industry.

It uses a system of ground stations to provide augmentations to the GPS standard positioning service navigation signal.

It was officially launched in 2015 by the then civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju.

"The competent authority has decided to postpone the deadline to June 30, 2020. Accordingly, all the aircraft being imported for registration on or after June 29, 2020 shall be required to be suitably equipped with Gagan equipment," aviation regulator DGCA said in a notice dated January 1.

According to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Gagan is designed to provide the additional accuracy, availability, and integrity necessary to enable users to rely on GPS for all phases of a flight.

Besides aviation, the system would benefit other modes of transportation, including maritime, highways, and railways, as per AAI.