India has achieved a major milestone in aviation by successfully conducting its 1st satellite-guided landing of a jet aircraft using the indigenous GAGAN (GPS-aided Geo Augmented Navigation) system. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) carried out the demonstration on an IndiGo Airbus A320 at Udaipur, marking the country’s first Satellite-Based Landing System (SLS) approach for a jet engine aircraft.
The operation used GAGAN, India’s satellite-based navigation system jointly developed by ISRO and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The successful landing followed earlier satellite-guided operations conducted on turboprop ATR aircraft and represents the expansion of the technology to jet aircraft.
The milestone was achieved through a Localiser Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) approach, which is expected to improve flight safety, particularly at secondary airports that do not have expensive Instrument Landing Systems (ILS). Satellite-based landing enables aircraft to receive precise horizontal and vertical guidance using satellite navigation instead of relying entirely on ground-based equipment.
IndiGo first introduced LPV operations on its ATR fleet in 2022 and has now expanded Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS)-enabled operations across its fleet. GAGAN provides the satellite coverage required for LPV procedures throughout Indian airspace, placing India among the few countries with its own SBAS capability.
According to aviation officials, wider adoption of LPV procedures and SBAS-equipped aircraft is expected to improve aviation safety, operational efficiency and airport accessibility across the country. The technology enhances the accuracy, integrity and availability of standard satellite navigation signals by transmitting correction data through geostationary satellites, allowing more precise runway approaches even at airports without conventional precision landing systems.
The successful demonstration marks another important step in strengthening India’s aviation infrastructure through indigenous satellite navigation technology.