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In a major milestone for Indian aviation, an IndiGo Airbus A320 has completed India’s first satellite-guided landing by a commercial jet using the indigenous GAGAN navigation system.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) supervised the demonstration flight on June 27.
Unlike the conventional Instrument Landing System (ILS), which relies on ground-based radio equipment, the aircraft performed a Satellite-Based Landing System (SLS) approach using Localiser Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV), providing pilots with precise horizontal and vertical guidance during landing.
GAGAN (GPS-Aided GEO-Augmented Navigation), jointly developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI), enhances GPS signals by correcting errors and continuously monitoring their reliability for aviation use. It is not an independent navigation system like GPS or NavIC but improves the accuracy and integrity of GPS-based navigation.
The correction data is transmitted through ISRO’s GSAT-8 and GSAT-10 satellites, while a network of 15 ground reference stations detects and corrects GPS errors in real time.
The system also provides integrity monitoring, alerting pilots within seconds if navigation anomalies occur.
IndiGo introduced LPV operations on its ATR fleet in 2022 and has since expanded Satellite-Based Augmentation System-enabled capabilities across more aircraft.
The Airports Authority of India has published 23 LPV approach procedures nationwide and plans to increase the number to more than 40 by the end of the year.
According to experts, the successful demonstration marks a significant step in advancing India’s aviation capabilities and will likely accelerate the adoption of satellite-based precision approaches, improving flight safety, efficiency and accessibility across the country’s expanding airport network.
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