ATM in India prepares to meet the challenges of rapid growth

In addition to the rapid growth being experienced at an all-India level for which system-wide responses are required, there are also challenges at individual airports related to runway capacity which require local solutions. Mumbai is a prime example of an airport where the implementation of measures to improve the throughput of what is effectively a single runway, has been critical for preventing the airport from reaching saturation.

Five years ago Mumbai Airport could handle a sustained maximum of 32 aircraft movements per hour with occasional peaks of 36-37 movements. Today the airport has a declared capacity of 45 movements per hour and has achieved 50 movements on occasion.

CAPA projects Indian passenger traffic to almost triple in size within 10 years, by which time India is expected to emerge as the world's third largest aviation market behind the US and China. This will place significant pressure on air navigation services in India.

Long-term solutions will require a new way of thinking with a fresh approach and an organisation that is focused not only on technology and equipment, but also people and training.

India's ANS provider has embarked on a major upgrade programme across its airspace which covers 9.5 million square kilometres, of which just over 60% is oceanic comprising regions over the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Approximately 35% of the airspace in India is reserved for military use which does create challenges for commercial operations.

The airspace is divided into four primary Flight Information Regions (FIRs) at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, with a sub-FIR at Guwahati.

Air navigation services (ANS) for civilian operations are provided by the state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI). The AAI has a dual role, as both the air navigation services provider and as the operator of 125 out of 130 airports in the country, although around 50 of these are idle. Five airports accounting for more than 50% of total traffic are managed by private operators, however the AAI provides air traffic control (ATC) services at these airports.

India has 26 civil enclaves which are managed by the AAI. These are areas with a defence airfield which are designated for civilian use. At such airports the ATC services are provided by the Indian Air Force.

In recent years the AAI has pursued initiatives to optimise airspace capacity, resulting in greater efficiencies:

enhanced radar surveillance, supplemented by ADS-B;

upgrading of telecommunications and data infrastructure;

introduction of air traffic flow management procedures and collaborative decision making at the six metro airports;

implementation of systems and procedures such as Performance Based Navigation;

reduction of horizontal separation on selected Required Navigation Performance routes;

harmonisation of upper airspace in the Chennai and Kolkata Flight Information Regions, to be followed by Delhi;

flexible use of airspace (FUA) enabling civilian operators to access military airspace when it is not being used by defence forces.

A regional satellite based augmentation system (SBAS) known as GAGAN, is the flagship project of India's airspace modernisation plan. SBAS is a system to improve the accuracy of a GNSS receiver by providing reference signals.

With GAGAN, India will become the fourth market in the world to offer space-based satellite navigation services to the aviation sector. GAGAN will provide augmentation service for GPS over the Indian land mass, the Bay of Bengal, South East Asia, the Middle East and the Arabian Sea extending up to Africa.

The availability of the GAGAN signal will bridge the gap between the European Union's European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) and Japan's Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS) coverage areas.

The benefits of GAGAN include improved efficiency, direct routes, increased fuel savings, approach with vertical guidance at runways, significant cost savings due to withdrawal of ground aids and reduced workload of flight crew and air traffic controllers.

Aircraft equipped with a Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) receiver will now be able to use the GAGAN signal in Indian airspace for en route navigation and non-precision approaches without vertical guidance.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India provisionally certified GAGAN to Required Navigation Performance, 0.1 i.e. accuracy to 0.1 nautical miles in Dec-2013. The objective is to attain APV1/1.5 certification which will allow the system to offer precision approaches in India. Aircraft, crews, runways, approach procedures and separation procedures and systems must be certified by the national regulatory authority before the system can be used operationally.

Key challenges associated with the implementation of GAGAN include:

• The GAGAN signal-in-space (SIS) in the upper levels (up to 45,000 feet) and in the lower levels (5,000 to 15,000 feet) needs to be validated;
• A survey of obstructions at all airports needs to be carried out, charts to be updated accordingly. This process is expected to take approximately two years;
• Low visibility procedures will need to be designed, trialled and approved by the DGCA. This process is expected to take approximately five years;
• Indian airspace flight routes will need to be restructured based on the GAGAN signal;
• Manpower will need to be properly trained to be able to operate and maintain the new system;
• An independent cell will need to be established to monitor the status of all GPS and GEO satellites over Indian airspace;
• Final certification will need to be obtained from the DGCA.
• Completion of all of the above is expected to take several years, such that full operationalisation of GAGAN is not expected until at least 2020.

GAGAN could potentially be rolled out to neighbouring countries which would provide seamless air navigation across a much wider airspace. However, for such an initiative to proceed will require political dialogue to be initiated and for reference stations to be established in those countries.

Corporatisation is likely to be the best model for creating a suitable organisation with the structure and ability to raise the capital required to meet the growing demands placed on air traffic management in the future. The government has accepted a recommendation to corporatise, but there could be several barriers to its implementation. The impact on the AAI as a result of the loss of more than 25% of its revenue being key amongst them.

Nevertheless, a legal consultant has been appointed to propose amendments to the relevant Act, which may be tabled in the next session of parliament commencing Aug-2015. If the revisions are passed it is possible that a corporatised ANSP could be functioning before the end of FY2016. However, with the challenges that exist a further delay cannot be ruled out.

Appointment of a domain expert to head the corporatised entity, and not a bureaucrat, will be key to its success as it transitions to a more customer-focused, service-driven and accountable organisation. The ANSP will need to implement a new culture focused on performance, cost efficiency, service and environmental sustainability whilst maintaining safety as the primary objective.

CAPA's India ATM Report 2015, released in Jun-2015, is the most in-depth study ever conducted on the current status and outlook for air traffic management in India. This comprehensive 170 page report covers traffic movements; infrastructure status and requirements; manpower and training issues; implementation of new procedures including flexible use of airspace; impact of the GAGAN satellite based navigation system; and prospects for corporatisation of the Indian ANSP. For more information contact Binit Somaia on
bs@centreforaviation.com