Rajasthan, India: India has achieved a significant milestone in civil aviation after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) successfully conducted the country’s first satellite-based landing system (SLS) approach on a jet aircraft using the indigenous GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system.
The landmark exercise was carried out on an IndiGo Airbus A320 at Maharana Pratap Airport in Udaipur, Rajasthan, marking the first time a jet-powered commercial aircraft in India has performed a Localiser Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) approach using GAGAN. Until now, satellite-based LPV procedures in the country had been demonstrated only on turboprop aircraft.
The successful approach represents a major advancement in India’s efforts to modernise air navigation infrastructure by reducing dependence on conventional ground-based landing aids while enhancing flight safety and operational efficiency.
Developed jointly by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI), GAGAN is India’s Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS). The system improves the accuracy, integrity and availability of GPS signals by transmitting correction data through geostationary satellites, enabling aircraft to conduct highly accurate navigation during all phases of flight, including precision approaches and landings.
During the demonstration, the IndiGo Airbus A320 successfully executed an LPV approach, a satellite-guided procedure that provides both lateral and vertical guidance to pilots. The capability allows aircraft to fly stabilised precision-like approaches without relying on expensive Instrument Landing System (ILS) infrastructure installed at airports.
Officials said the successful validation demonstrates that GAGAN is now capable of supporting satellite-based approaches for jet aircraft, significantly expanding its operational applicability beyond regional turboprop fleets.
The technology is expected to improve safety, particularly at airports lacking advanced ground-based navigation equipment, while also enhancing accessibility during challenging weather conditions and in geographically difficult terrain.
Unlike conventional landing systems that depend on ground transmitters such as ILS, GAGAN relies on satellite navigation supported by a network of reference stations that continuously monitor GPS signals and transmit correction information. This substantially improves positioning accuracy and navigation integrity, enabling aircraft equipped with compatible avionics to safely conduct LPV approaches.
India joins a small group of countries possessing an operational Satellite-Based Augmentation System, placing it alongside systems such as the United States’ Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), Europe’s European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) and Japan’s Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS). GAGAN is also the world’s first SBAS certified for operations in the equatorial region, where ionospheric disturbances present unique navigation challenges.
The latest demonstration builds upon earlier milestones achieved using GAGAN. In April 2022, IndiGo became the first airline in Asia to conduct a GAGAN-enabled LPV landing with an ATR-72 turboprop aircraft at Kishangarh Airport in Rajasthan. The Udaipur exercise now extends the capability to larger commercial jet aircraft, representing an important step towards broader fleet integration.
Officials believe wider adoption of satellite-based landing procedures could reduce dependence on costly ground infrastructure, lower maintenance requirements, improve operational flexibility and make precision approaches available at many more airports across the country.
The demonstration also aligns with India’s broader vision of strengthening indigenous aviation technologies under the country’s self-reliance initiatives while improving the safety and efficiency of the national air navigation system.
According to aviation authorities, expanding GAGAN-enabled procedures across airports and equipping more aircraft with compatible avionics could eventually enhance operational reliability, minimise weather-related disruptions and support safer landings at airports where conventional precision landing systems are unavailable.
