Niall O'Connor
A KEY AIR navigation beacon at the Irish Air Corps’ Baldonnel base has been out of action for almost a year, The Journal has learned.
The VOR beacon assists aircraft to find where they are when they are not using GPS systems.
Pilots use the beacon to locate an airfield as they approach when they are conducting an instrument-only flight. Such landings are usually carried out in poor visibility, when pilots are able to use visual sightings only in the final few metres of an approach.
Sources have said that the beacon is a failsafe and a more traditional piece of equipment than the other option which is a GPS system, but pilots have said the fact that it is not working limits navigation at Baldonnel on one system alone.
Baldonnel Aerodrome is anticipated to be the location where world leaders will land when they arrive in Dublin for a major EU summit in November.
It is understood the Irish Air Corps is due to take delivery of its new €19m anti-drone system which will protect the airfield during the Presidency.
Recent GPS spoofing, in which bad actors have interfered with the aircraft guidance systems, of senior British government officials and also the aircraft of Ursula von der Leyen is a concern for security planners.
There were also incidents in which navigation systems were blocked on three aircraft carrying senior officials arriving for an EU Presidency meeting of defence ministers in Cyprus.
It is understood such a system would fit inside a car and could be deployed without any way to detect it.
The issue for pilots, according to multiple military and civilian sources, is that Baldonnel’s non-VOR navigation systems are specific to individual runways and, depending on particular approaches, would be more effective in more benign weather conditions.
Those sources have said that fact that the VOR system, considered a fallback system by pilots, is out of action is a key resilience failing for Casement Aerodrome.
A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) has been issued warning pilots of the issue – the current NOTAM runs from 27 April to 8 July. Sources said it is anticipated this will be further extended.
The Journal has seen documentation whereby the system was out of service in July 2025. Sources have said the problem has continued since then.
We asked AirNav Ireland and the Irish Defence Forces if the problems with the system was caused by a nearby civilian building outside the airfield boundary fence. Neither organisation provided a response on that query.
The Irish Defence Forces said: “The Defence Forces operates multiple means of navigational aids and procedures. This issue has had a negligible effect on operations and liaison with relevant stakeholders is ongoing.”
AirNav Ireland on its website states that it provides air traffic management and related services across the 451,000kms squared area of Irish airspace controlled by Ireland.
It said in a statement: “AirNav Ireland does not operate or maintain navigational equipment at Baldonnel Aerodrome.”