NEW DELHI, July 4 -- Until last week, a helicopter pilot approaching Undavalli Heliport in Andhra Pradesh through low cloud or monsoon rain had one option: sight. Satellite receivers could tell the crew where they were in the sky, but that information did not translate into a certified instrument approach to a helipad without ground-based navigation equipment beneath it. India's aviation regulator changed that on July 2.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation granted the country's first regulatory approval for a Point-in-Space instrument approach procedure at a civilian heliport, developed by the Airports Authority of India at Undavalli. The clearance is specific to one location, but what it establishes is not. Under International Civ...