Airservices Australia is proposing to remove Richmond non directional radio beacon

The issue

The Richmond non directional radio beacon (NDB) is located at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base Richmond, in New South Wales (NSW).

As a result of the introduction of airspace and flight path changes to support the opening of Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport in 2026, RAAF base Richmond (YSRI) NDB procedures can no longer be supported.

Richmond NDB is currently part of Australia’s backup navigation network (BNN); however, the removal of its approach procedures will not adversely impact the important function of the BNN.

RAAF base Richmond has an alternative instrument landing system (ILS) and required navigation performance (RNP) approach procedure.

Purpose

Airservices Australia is proposing to remove Richmond NDB procedures and seeks feedback from aircraft operators and other industry stakeholders to understand if this proposal will have any impact on their operations.