India will soon have GPS and geo-augmented navigation (GAGAN) operationalized. Releasing the GAGAN certification documents, K N Srivastava, secretary, ministry of civil aviation, said that market GAGAN beyond aviation was large and stressed on the need to develop appropriate business models to ensure benefits of technology reach wherever the signal-in space is available for such use.

Srivastava released the certification documents to Arun Mishra, director general of civil aviation (DGCA) in the presence of V.P. Agrawal, chairman, airport authority of India (AAI) on Wednesday at the Corporate Headquarters, New Delhi.

The GAGAN certification process is the first unique exercise where the regulator, DGCA officials have worked in tandem with service providers and system developers. The GAGAN operationalized will initially meet the required navigation performance specifications of 0.1 for en-route and non-precision approach operations and subsequently it will be operationalized for approach with vertical approach guidance providing instrument landing system (ILS) like approaches to most of the runway ends.

Sh. V. Somasundaram,  member, air navigational services present in the occasion said that the development of documents have been the collective effort of Indian space research organization (ISRO), AAI and DGCA for the past four years and is a milestone for certification process of GAGAN.

Srivastava urged DGCA and AAI to take up GAGAN with the airline operators for appropriate aircraft equipage ensuring a successful business models are prepared and time bound plan is worked out.

He added that GAGAN expansion program outside India should be taken up for ensuring seamless GAGAN services availability within Asia Pacific region.