MISSION ISHAN (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy/Infrastructure)

Context: Recently, the Airports Authority of India (AAI), responsible for air traffic management services, issued invitations for expressions of interest (EoI) to prepare a detailed project report for the Indian Single Sky Harmonized Air Traffic Management at Nagpur (ISHAN).

Mission ISHAN

• About: ISHAN stands for Indian Single Sky Harmonized Air Traffic Management at Nagpur.
• Aim: To centralize coordination for domestic flights flying in upper airspace (above 25,000 ft) to be handled by air traffic controllers (ATCOs) in Nagpur.
• Indian Airspace Structure: Currently, Indian airspace is divided into 4 Flight Information Regions (FIRs) - Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai, along with a sub-FIR at Guwahati, each managed separately.

oThe move comes amidst a significant surge in aviation industry growth, with domestic passenger traffic expected to double by 2030.

• Benefits:

o ISHAN is expected to make air traffic operations more efficient, safer, and seamless, thereby enabling it to handle more capacity.

o The move is also expected to benefit passengers by reducing congestion and flying times.

o FIRs are controlled by a single authority responsible for providing air traffic services as well as alerting services.

o Air traffic controllers (ATCOs) in each region would only guide flights approaching or taking off from an airport until they enter the upper airspace.

o Flexibility in flight routes, reduced travel time, lower fuel consumption, and reduced carbon footprint are among the key benefits of ISHAN.