Gagan navigational system expected to be operational by 2010

Mumbai: Satellite based navigational information may be made available to Indian airport authorities by 2010 allowing them to enhance their area of coverage and tackle rising traffic and air route congestion.

The Gagan or GPS-aided Geo Augmented Navigation system, expected to be operational by 2010 at a cost of approximately Rs644 crore, is expected to greatly increase the area of coverage that air traffic controllers can aid in navigation of aircraft.

Gagan is being developed by the AAI in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which will launch the satellite for routing communication signals.

According to a senior AAI official, the first stage of the product is now complete, with a technical presentation having been made. ISRO is soon expected to start testing transmission of the signals in space.

When Gagan becomes operational the existing ground facilities could be withdrawn as the area covered through satellites would be much larger than that of the existing system, officials said.

Gagan would be implemented across the AAI's 110 airports in the country.