AAI as an ANS Service provider is responsible for Planning, Procurement, Installation, Commissioning, Maintenance and Operation of Communication, Navigation, Surveillance (CNS) facilities and ATM Automation system at all the airports owned by AAI, PPP airports, State airports and Private airports.
Special Maintenance Units (SMU) have been established for different CNS facilities at Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad for advance level repair/maintenance and supporting the field stations in maintenance and operation of CNS facilities to ensure un-interrupted operation of CNS facilities.
The periodic flight calibration of ground based Navigational and associated facilities is done by Flight Inspection Unit (FIU) of AAI to ensure that all these facilities meet the standards/specifications set by ICAO.
CNS services provided by AAI:
Communication Facilities:
Communication between Pilot and Air Traffic Controller (ATC) is essential for safe aircraft operations. AAI has provided state-of-the art IP based VHF (Very high frequency) radios and VCCS (Voice Communications Control System) for establishing Air-Ground communication between ATC and Pilot. To enhance the VHF communication range, Remote Controlled Air Ground (RCAG) communication i.e. extended VHF systems have been installed at different strategic locations so as to provide voice communication services required in entire Indian air space without any coverage gap.
As the VHF coverage range is restricted due to line-of-sight communication, HF (High Frequency) communication facilities are installed at Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai to provide longer range communication, particularly over areas where VHF coverage is limited and to cover the vast oceanic region under Indian air space. HF Networking receivers have been installed at Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and Trivandrum to enhance HF communication performance utilizing geographical redundancy.
Controller-Pilot Data Link Communication (CPDLC) for en-route communication and DCL facilities for Departure Clearance (DCL) have also been provided for data link communication between Air Traffic Controller and Pilot.
PAN India ATS Message Handling System (AMHS) is under implementation to replace the existing AMHS and AMSS at all the airports. This system is used for aeronautical ground to ground communication to ensure secure and efficient exchange of ATS messages between Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) and other aviation stake holder.
Digital Automatic Terminal Information Service (D-ATIS) facilities have been provided at different airports to broadcast essential information, such as weather information, active runways, available approaches and other relevant information about an airport to Pilot. d-ATIS and d-Volmet facilities have also been installed to provide relevant information to aircraft through data link communication.
Digital Voice Recorders (DVRs) are installed at airports to record all the operationally important voice communication i.e. ground to ground and air to ground communications to assist the investigation of any incident at airport.
AAI has established its own communication link network called Futuristic Telecommunication Infrastructure (FTI) to enhance the reliability and availability of communication links between different airports/facilities.
Navigation Facilities:
Various Navigational aids such as ILS, DVOR, DME and NDB are provided for safe flight operation at airport and en-route purpose.
Instrument Landing System (ILS) is precision approach system and provides both vertical and lateral guidance information to Pilot to land safely, especially in low visibility condition. The Instrument Landing System (ILS) is categorized into three main types (CAT I, CAT II, and CAT III) based on their minimum visibility and decision height requirements.
Doppler Very High Omni Range (DVOR) is a ground-based radio Navigational aid and provides bearing information to aircraft so that Pilot can determine their flight position and direction in respect to their destination.
Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) is co-located with DVOR & ILS and provides distance between aircraft and facility.
Non-Directional Beacon (NDB) is a ground-based radio navigational aid and used by aircraft to determine their position relative to the beacon.
GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN):
GAGAN, the Satellite based augmentation system (SBAS) of India has been developed by AAI in collaboration with ISRO to improve the accuracy and integrity of GPS signals and to establish a seamless satellite navigation system for civil aviation, enhancing capacity and safety.
Surveillance Facilities:
The main purpose of Surveillance system is to track the aircraft and provide the critical data of aircraft such as its position, altitude, speed etc. to air traffic Controller to manage the air traffic safely and efficiently.
Following types of surveillance facilities are installed at airports and at strategic locations for managing the air traffic effectively:
ASR is a type of Primary Surveillance RADAR (PSR) and helps in tracking the aircraft within a certain range without requiring any signal from aircraft.
MSSR is a type of Secondary Surveillance RADAR (SSR) and provides detailed information about aircraft such as its identity, altitude, speed etc.
Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS–B) is an advanced surveillance technology in which aircraft broadcast its GPS location, altitude, ground speed and other data to ground stations.
Space based ADS-B uses the satellite based receiver and is very useful to provide the information especially in oceanic region as no other type of surveillance facilities are available in the oceanic and remote region.
Advanced-Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (ASMGCS) are installed to control the surface movement operation of aircrafts and vehicles in all weather conditions at an airport.
RADARs/ADS-B installed at different locations are integrated to cover the entire Indian Air Space.
ATM Automation System:
ATM Automation system integrates different type of CNS systems (e.g. RADAR, ADS-B, AMSS/AMHS etc.) and provides real time information on aircraft position, flight plans, weather condition to air traffic Controller to handle the air traffic smoothly and to ensure high level of safety and efficiency. To maintain safety, ATM Automation system provides critical alert to air traffic Controller such as Short-Term Conflict Alert (STCA) to prevent potential midair collision, Minimum Safe Altitude Warning (MSAW) to prevent terrain impact, Medium Term Conflict Alert (MTCA), Route and Altitude adherence monitoring etc. State of the art ATM Automation System is installed at all major airports.
Central Air Traffic Flow Management (C-ATFM):
Air traffic is experiencing the substantial growth in India and this trend is likely to continue in future. Increased traffic is expected at many of the existing airports. This increase in air traffic demand requires corresponding efforts to utilize system capacity efficiently.
C-ATFM system has been provided for effective demand and capacity balancing of air traffic at all the congested airports to ensure safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air-traffic. Central Command and Control Centre (CCC) has been established at Delhi to provide the ATFM measure for any congested airport in India. All the major airports are integrated with CCC, Delhi.
Airports Authority of India,
Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan,
Safdarjung Airport,
New Delhi-110003
Ph : 91-11-24632950
