AAI signs with Boeing to improve airspace utilization

Boeing said that it had signed a technical assistance agreement with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to jointly develop a comprehensive 10-year roadmap for modernising air traffic management in India.

The roadmap is expected to be developed within 18 months and it will be undertaken with a grant from the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), Boeing said in a statement.

The AAI owns and manages around 125 airports across the country.

“This objective of the agreement is to develop a roadmap for AAI to use as guidance in the modernisation of the Indian National Airspace System (NAS) based on global and local best practices to optimally utilise airspace capacity, enhance communications and invest in navigation, surveillance and air traffic management,” Boeing said.

As part of the project, Boeing said it will also work closely with Indian aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), airlines operating in India, airport operators and other airspace stakeholders like the US-India Aviation Cooperation Program (ACP).

“Boeing will analyse current technologies and processes to identify efficiency improvements that can be implemented while maintaining a practical and safe airspace system,” it said. AAI Chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra said, “The implementation of modern technologies and global practices will allow India to increase its airspace capacity significantly by improving communications, enabling flexible use of airspace and allowing the safe processing of additional flights using air navigation infrastructure for smoother and more efficient skies in India.”