Bad weather won't stop helicopters: India approves satellite-guided 'PinS' landing system

India has approved its first Private Point-in-Space (PinS) Instrument Approach Procedure for helicopter operations to improve flight safety and enable all-weather access to heliports without conventional landing infrastructure.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation said the country's first PinS procedure has been approved for the Undavalli Heliport in Andhra Pradesh.

It was developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The procedure has been designed in line with DGCA regulations and the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices.

PinS procedures use satellite-based navigation technology to help helicopters carry out precise instrument approaches to heliports that do not have conventional instrument landing systems.

The technology is expected to improve operations during poor weather and in areas where ground-based navigation aids are unavailable.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the introduction of India's first PinS Instrument Approach Procedure marks a new phase in helicopter operations by improving flight safety, operational efficiency and all-weather accessibility.

“Our foremost priority is the adoption of modern technologies to make helicopter operations more reliable and more accessible across the country,” the minister said.

“We also recently concluded the first phase of this year's Char Dham helicopter operations successfully without any incident supported by upgraded technological infrastructure. Our commitment is to build a technology-driven and globally benchmarked helicopter ecosystem in India,” he added.

Naidu said the approval is another step in the government's efforts to modernise aviation infrastructure through Performance-Based Navigation (PBN), expand the use of indigenous satellite-based navigation technologies and align India's aviation ecosystem with global best practices.

Last week, India had successfully demonstrated the country's first indigenous GAGAN-based precision approach by a commercial aircraft, he added.

According to the ministry, the approval is expected to facilitate the rollout of similar PinS procedures across the country. It could support emergency medical services, disaster relief missions, tourism, offshore operations, pilgrimage services, corporate aviation and regional connectivity.

“It will enable safer Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations to remote and strategically important locations, improve operational reliability, and reduce weather-related disruptions,” the ministry said.