Proposed decommissioning of Tindal non-directional beacon

Airservices Australia is proposing to decommission the Tindal (TN) non-directional beacon (NDB) as it is unserviceable and uneconomical to repair.

The issue

The TN NDB is located at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Tindal, which also operates as Katherine Airport, in the Northern Territory (NT).

The TN NDB has been unserviceable and subject to a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for three years.  It is uneconomical to repair due to a complex fault.

TN 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.

Tindal aerodrome has several other navigational aids available for civil use including an Instrument Landing System (ILS) and very-high-frequency omnidirectional radio (VOR), as well as Required Navigation Performance (RNP) approach procedures.

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

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

Purpose

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