Boeing 787 exempted from GAGAN compliance as it requires major design changes, others to follow deadline: MoCA

New Delhi [India], August 25 : The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has given an exemption to Boeing 787 from GPS-aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) compliance till 2025 because it requires major design change to make it compliant with GAGAN.
On August 23, MoCA issued a notification regarding exempting Boeing 787 from GAGAN compliance till 2025.
On being asked what are the reasons for extending the compliance requirement for Boeing 787 aircraft, a senior MoCA official said that the compliance requirement for Boeing 787 is extended after due consultation with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Boeing has informed that to make 787 compliant with GAGAN equipment major design changes have to be carried out and given a time frame of the 4th Quarter of 2025. Accordingly, the exemption to Boeing 787 has been provided.
Responding further if the Civil Aviation Policy 2016, the GAGAN compliance deadline was January 1, 2019. So was it extended further, he replied that the deadline for compliance was extended from January 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020, vide GSR Notification dated January 7, 2019.
The deadline was further extended from June 30, 2020, to July 1, 2021, vide GSR Notification dated June 12, 2020, he said.
He clarified that only Boeing 787 is exempted from GAGAN compliance for the given time. All other aircraft have to comply with GAGAN compliance.
GAGAN is designed to assist navigation both en-route as well as during landing. Its main aim is passengers' safety by guiding pilots to precision landing on runways. It will help the Aviation industry in maintaining safety with increased traffic and by reducing the infrastructure needed on the ground.
GAGAN is developed jointly by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to provide navigational services over the Indian flight information region.