Primary NAVAID: Klems Hill VOR/DME (VLI)
Located at Klems Hills, the VOR/DME (VLI) serves as Port Vila’s primary navigation aid, emitting VHF signals to provide pilots with the airport’s location and distance via DME. It offers short-medium range coverage up to 150 nautical miles at high altitudes and 50 nautical miles at low altitudes, while enabling air traffic controllers to sequence aircraft for safe take-offs and landings.
- Strategic
- Operational
- Ongoing (in service to present 2026)
Secondary NAVAID: Mele Hideaway NDB (BA)
The NBD (BA) at Mele Hideaway acts as a reliable backup with a robust 500 NM range, supporting VOR/DME approaches and departures when the primary system is unavailable.
En-route navigation- for all ground navigation aids (VLI/SON/TAH), used mostly by upper Airspace Traffic- for example all traffic from New Zealand to Asia, Australia to East & North Pacific and Australia to Americas and vice versa.
Maintenance of these navigation aids, flight checks and training (upskilling) of the ATSEP & ATS officers are funded by the upper Airspace revenue which is paid by Fiji Airports to the Reserve Bank every year.
It is funded by the Government of Vanuatu, this NAVAID upgrade project ran from October 2022 to October 2024, with release to Airports Vanuatu Limited (AVL) scheduled for October 2025.
Originally installed in the early to mid -1990’s and handed over to AVL in 2000, the aging equipment drove high maintenance costs by 2010. It was prioritized under the World Bank-Funded Vanuatu Aviation Investment Project (VAIP) (2015-2019), but runway pavement needs side-lined it until government funding resumed.
- Navigation Aid (NDB - Backup System)
- Upgraded (Handover scheduled)
- October 2022 – October 2025
Key Upgrades:
Regional Expansions:
ICAO and PBN Transition
As an ICAO member state, Vanuatu is aligning with global calls to phase out ground-based system in favor of satellite-based navigation (PBN). While a national air navigation plan is development, AVL as the ANS provider is installing equipment and procedures to ensure compliance.
