The European system that augments GPS signals to make them more accurate is now suitable for use in aviation, the European Commission says.
Egnos, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, can tell planes and helicopters where they are to within a couple of metres.
The system was certified for "safety of life" applications on Wednesday.
This means its performance is of a high enough standard that pilots can reliably use it as a navigation tool.
Big airliners landing at major international airports typically rely on ground technologies to guide them to a runway, but Egnos is likely to help with some final approach phases and in improving the positioning of aircraft en route.
The system should be more important at some small airports where the ground infrastructure is much more limited.
Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the European Commission, made the Egnos announcement in London.
He told BBC News that Egnos and the soon to launch Galileo system - a European version of GPS - were key initiatives for the EU and its interests in space.
"I believe in Egnos and Galileo, not because they are my dream, but because they are part of our industrial policy," he said.
"Space may be up there," he added, pointing to the sky, "but Egnos and Galileo will deliver services to the citizen here on the ground."
Egnos is a joint project of the European Commission, the European Space Agency (Esa), and Eurocontrol, the European organisation for the safety of air navigation.
It started initial operations in 2005 and has gradually ramped up its service.
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