Originally Posted by
TCAS FAN
An ILS on RWY 02 has always been of dubious value due to the impact of the hill at Townhill Park. This would have a significant impact on IAP minima.
With the RWY extension and a blast fence being installed (according to the Planning Application) immediately north of it, there will be nowhere to site an ILS Localiser, so ILS on RWY 02 is a non-starter.
As there is a worldwide shift away from the expense of ground based radio navigation aids the answer for both SOU runways are RNAV IAP, augmented by satellite data to provide vertical as well as lateral guidance. Until June 2021 the latter was available to the UK via the EU EGNOS system. This provided a much improved minima for the current RNAV IAP on RWY 02, unfortunately no longer available due to the UK being unable to agree terms for access to EGNOS.
There may well be a long term solution for the UK, either access to EGNOS or access to an alternative system, both apparently vastly expensive.
Thanks, I had a feeling (and remember previous discussions) that it was to do with terrain in the undershoot. As you say, it seems the extension at the other end introduces further difficulties.