Airservices Australia is proposing to decommission the Bankstown non directional radio beacon

The issue

The Bankstown non directional radio beacon (NDB) is located at Bankstown aerodrome, in New South Wales (NSW).

The current NDB procedures are rarely used for many reasons (i.e. conflicting with existing procedures for Sydney Airport (YSSY).  The introduction of airspace and flight path changes to support the opening of Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport in 2026, there is no longer available space to enable the provision of NDB approach procedures at Bankstown Airport (YSBK).

BK NDB is currently part of Australia’s backup navigation network (BNN); however, its removal will not adversely impact the important function of the BNN, as adequate coverage is provided by other navaids.

Bankstown aerodrome has alternative required navigation performance (RNP) approach procedures, and for satellite navigation failure radar vectors can be provided by Air Traffic Control (ATC).

Decommissioning of the BK NDB will result in the following changes to the Aeronautical information Package (AIP):  

• removal of the BK NDB details from enroute supplement Australia (ERSA)
• removal of the YSBK NDB approach procedures
• updating of charts and other documentation to remove reference to the navaid.
   

Purpose

Airservices Australia is proposing to decommission the BK NDB and seeks feedback from aircraft operators and other industry stakeholders to understand if and how the BK NDB is being used, and whether decommissioning it will have any impact on their operations.