HAL Airport in Bengaluru has operationalised a Required Navigation Performance Category H (RNP CAT H) approach procedure specifically designed for helicopters, becoming the first airport in India to deploy such a system. The precision satellite-guided flight path allows rotorcraft to follow three-dimensional arrival routes tailored to their flight characteristics, cutting approach times from around 12 minutes down to roughly four minutes.
The procedure was developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), validated through flight trials conducted by HAL test pilots, and granted operational approval by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Designed around rotorcraft performance capabilities—including the ability to slow rapidly, fly steeper approach profiles, and operate at lower speeds—the system enhances airport access during poor weather conditions while enabling safer navigation around terrain and urban obstacles.
The eight-minute reduction in approach times is intended to improve operational responsiveness and reduce pilot workload during critical missions, including emergency medical flights, search and rescue, disaster response, and urgent government operations. Direct satellite-based routing also reduces unnecessary track miles, cuts fuel consumption, and decreases time spent over densely populated areas, thereby lowering the overall noise footprint. Ravi K, Chairman and Managing Director of HAL, described the operationalisation as a significant milestone for India’s aviation ecosystem.
The operational milestone comes barely a month after India approved its first Point-in-Space (PinS) instrument approach procedure for helicopters at Undavalli Heliport in Andhra Pradesh. While PinS procedures are designed primarily for heliports without conventional instrument infrastructure, the new RNP CAT H procedure at HAL Airport represents the country's first system operationalised in an airport environment shared by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
