Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Feb 22, 2016 Indian airports will need to cater for up to 222 million additional passengers over the next 10 years to keep pace with demand, Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials estimate. Passenger traffic in India grew by 21% in 2015. The AAI plans capital expenditure of approximately USD3 billion in the next five years, mostly on airport development projects. "India is expecting an annual 8% growth in air traffic in the next few years and infrastructure will have to be in step with this," said SV Satish, AAI executive director of safety. "We are looking at more joint ventures, of which one government-to government MoU [memorandum of understanding] has already been signed with Singapore," he told  IHS Jane's   . Under the MoU, approved by the Indian parliament, Changi Airports International will operate and manage Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports. Teams from Singapore and India will also collab...

ATC Neelam Mathews, New Delhi   - IHS Jane's Airport Review 20 July 2015     The Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have officially implemented the GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) navigation system for Indian airspace - but airlines must still be convinced to adopt it. Two satellites (GSAT-8 and GSAT-10) in geostationary earth orbit are broadcasting signals for the Indian Flight Information Region (FIR). A second backup satellite called GSAT-15 will be launched in early 2016,  IHS Jane's  understands. The system is interoperable with other satellite-based augmentation systems (SBASs) to deliver precise positional data for airspace users: the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) in the United States; the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS); and the MTSAT Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS) in Japan......Read more (subscription) in Janes Airports........

by  Neelam Mathews  -  July 15, 2015, 10:15 AM I India's airlines worry about the high cost of equipage and certification associated with Gagan. (Photo: Neelam Mathews) India’s airlines are resisting attempts by the country’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA ) to adopt the recently launched Gagan ( GPS   Aided Geo Augmented Navigation) system, citing the high cost of associated equipment and the time needed for retrofits, training and certification. One of the world’s four satellite-based augmentation systems, Gagan is a joint project of the Airport Authority of India ( AAI ), the Indian Space Research Organization ( ISRO ) and Raytheon. Its advanced air navigation technology provides coverage for the entire Indian Flight Information Region ( FIR ) via broadcast signals from two Indian built satellites ( GSAT   8 and   GSAT   10). “It improves fuel efficiency of airlines operating throughout India,” said Raytheon’s country...

SINGAPORE AIR SHOW  »  2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS February 13, 2014, 12:35 AM India’s  GPS -Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (Gagan) system, jointly developed by Airports Authority of India ( AAI ), the Indian Space Research Organization and Raytheon, has been awarded certification for in Required Navigation Performance ( RNP ) 0.1 operations. Achieved with the help of quasi- U.S. government non-profit  MITRE  Corporation, the certification makes it the world’s fourth  SBAS  system certified for operational use. The first test flight using the system will fly an approach in mid-2014 from Ahmedabad in the western state of Gujarat. The aircraft is likely to be an  AAI -owned Beechcraft aircraft, according to S.V Satish, general manager ( ATM -Gagan),  AAI . Raytheon has built 15 ground reference stations for the Gagan System, which will provide satellite-based navigation for civil aviation over Indian ...