IndiGo became the first airline in the country to land aircraft using the indigenous navigation system GAGAN at the Kishangarh airport in Rajasthan.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) said the successful trial was a great achievement and a major milestone in the field of Air Navigation Services (ANS) in the history of the country's civil aviation sector. India is the first country in Asia Pacific Region to achieve such a landmark, it said.
GAGAN is used to provide lateral and vertical guidance when an aircraft is approaching a runway for landing. Its precision is especially useful at small airports where the instrument landing system (ILS) has not been installed.
Indigo Airlines using its ATR aircraft has flown an Instrument Approach Procedure (IAP) with LPV minima of 250ft, using GAGAN Service. The tests, at Kishangarh Airport, were performed as part of initial GAGAN LPV flight trials along with the DGCA team on-board. After the final approval by DGCA, the procedure will be available for the usage of commercial flights, the AAI said.
"In India's civil aviation sector, GAGAN will modernise the airspace, reduce flight delays, save fuel and improve flight safety," IndiGO said in a statement.