Coober Pedy Airport Changes to Approach Procedures

This change has now been implemented.

Panoramic view of Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park outside Coober Pedy, South Australia, Australia showing mesas

What is going to change?

Airservices will implement changes to approach procedures for aircraft arriving to Runway 04/22 at Coober Pedy Airport.

There will be no change to the current flight paths over Coober Pedy; however residents on the outskirts of the town may notice a slight visual change in aircraft tracking with some aircraft flying closer to the town.

For more information on the changes please see our fact sheet.

Why are the changes necessary?

Since 2007, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has encouraged its members to implement approach procedures with vertical (straight up and down) guidance to improve safety for aircraft arriving at airports.

One way to do this is to make it possible for aircraft to use Baro-VNAV technology. BARO-VNAV stands for Barometric vertical navigation.

Baro-VNAV is a technology available on most large modern aircraft. It allows aircraft to land more smoothly, without using ground based navigation equipment. It also reduces the workload for pilots and decreases their reliance on visual assessments on approach, making landing safer. Baro-VNAV approaches reduce the frequency of an aircraft needing to either circle or complete a missed approach as they give pilots greater accuracy.

The introduction of Baro-VNAV requires changes to existing procedures to each end of the runway at Coober Pedy Airport (Runway 04/22).

When will this change occur?

These changes are planned for 13 August 2020.


What is going to change?

Airservices will implement changes to approach procedures for aircraft arriving to Runway 04/22 at Coober Pedy Airport.

There will be no change to the current flight paths over Coober Pedy; however residents on the outskirts of the town may notice a slight visual change in aircraft tracking with some aircraft flying closer to the town.

For more information on the changes please see our fact sheet.

Why are the changes necessary?

Since 2007, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has encouraged its members to implement approach procedures with vertical (straight up and down) guidance to improve safety for aircraft arriving at airports.

One way to do this is to make it possible for aircraft to use Baro-VNAV technology. BARO-VNAV stands for Barometric vertical navigation.

Baro-VNAV is a technology available on most large modern aircraft. It allows aircraft to land more smoothly, without using ground based navigation equipment. It also reduces the workload for pilots and decreases their reliance on visual assessments on approach, making landing safer. Baro-VNAV approaches reduce the frequency of an aircraft needing to either circle or complete a missed approach as they give pilots greater accuracy.

The introduction of Baro-VNAV requires changes to existing procedures to each end of the runway at Coober Pedy Airport (Runway 04/22).

When will this change occur?

These changes are planned for 13 August 2020.