The opportunities and challenges of civil aviation in India, Part 2: Communications, navigation and surveillance in air traffic management

Civil aviation in India has developed rapidly in recent years. By expanding in line with economic development and tapping into latent demand, it has attained an average annual growth rate of 20 per cent. This rapid rate of expansion has only been possible due to its relatively modest starting point, however, and further growth will require massive investment in infrastructure, redesigning airspace and improving the overall air traffic management system, together with changes in procedures, while maintaining strict adherence to the international standards of safety and security. This paper reviews the country's civil aviation with a special emphasis on the present status of its communications, navigation and surveillance systems. Furthermore, it examines the country's human resources and institutional framework to provide some insights into the challenges that the country may face in the near term. The research underlying the paper was completed while the author was at the MITRE Corporation's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development.