AAI ties up with US R&D Corporation

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has tied up with a US-based non-profit research organisation, the MITRE Corporation, for development and betterment of Air Traffic Management in India.

The tie-up will provide AAI access to latest technological advancement in the field of air traffic management, navigation, equipment and software development to make India’s airports among the safest in the world.

“The MITRE Corporation is essentially a research organisation. It also assists the Federal Aviation Authority of the United States, the apex body in aviation safety  in research and development of best in class equipment to make civil aviation safer,” VP Agarwal, AAI chairman said. AAI Technology and knowledge transfer are key elements of cooperation and MITRE Corporation has been a partner in the Air Traffic Management (ATM) developmental programme in India since 2006.

The tie-up will help Indian airports to be on par with the best airports as regards safety aspects. “To be on top,  we have to constantly innovate and bring in new technology,” the chairman added.

With aid and technological assistance from MITRE Corporation, problems faced by pilots in approach at difficult airports like Leh, Port Blair will also be mitigated as latest technological advancements will help devise ways to make the approach of these airports far safer, Agarwal said.

MITRE Corporation will initially operate from Delhi and will eventually establish a research and development centre in Hyderabad for advance research in air traffic management.

According to V Somasundaram, Member Air Traffic Services, AAI, India is a major Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) in the Asia Pacific region, having proven its capability to lead regional implementation activities and has taken a strategic move to develop a long-term partnership with MITRE for technical support in the areas of  Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance (CNS).

“These efforts will help place AAI in a leading role for facilitating global harmonization and seamless ATM across the regions,” Somasundaram said.

The MITRE corporation will also certify the efficacy of GAGAN, a satellite-based navigation system developed by AAI and Indian Space Research Organisation. The GAGAN programme among other aspects is looking at how to optimise airspace at important airports during peak traffic.

- Sunday Standard