The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has disclosed that it has started the rehabilitation of the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON), safe tower upgrade as well as the completion of multilateration for low flying aircraft in the Niger Delta at about N45 billion.
The Acting Managing Director of the agency, Mr. Matthew Pwajok made this known in Lagos at weekend.
According to him, a breakdown of the amount to be spent include N23 billion to rehabilitate TRACON facilities across the country, N13 billion for the upgrade of Safe Tower project and the completion multilateration project at about $12.9 million, costing about N45 billion.
TRACON provides surveillance by monitoring aircraft in the airspace, while safe tower facility provides integrated system for real time weather forecast and multilateration captures low flying aircraft, especially for the helicopters that provide oil and gas shuttle services in the Niger Delta.
The equipment play critical role in ensuring that flights operate safely in Nigeria’s airspace and provide the needed information to the air traffic controllers that guide aircraft movement from take-off to landing at different parts of the country.
Pwajok said TRACON upgrade has been ongoing, adding that it entails software and hardware upgrade and provision of other amenities.
He said out of the N23 billion, N17 billion would be expended on system upgrade which includes the radar itself while N5 billion would be spent on upgrading Very Small Appetite Terminal (VSAT).
He said the VSAT would provide digital exchange of information at a very high speed and voice exchange of information using ground radius and air ground communication between air traffic controllers and pilots.
VSAT is a two-way satellite ground station with dish antennae that is smaller than 3.8 meters.
“The upgrade of TRACON is ongoing, since 2010, we have not been able to upgrade to top Sky, the upgrade is expected to improve the functionality and efficiency of the system, it will become automated, they will begin to issue information electronically, thereby reducing the workload and pressure on Air Traffic Controllers (ATCos) and pilots.
“The upgrade will cover the entire nation, the nine locations of TRACON, which include Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, Ilorin, Obubra in Cross River state, Maiduguri, Tala-Mafara in Kebbi state and Numan in Taraba state. This is all to improve the safety, efficiency and capacity the airspace,” he said.
While disclosing that the Safe Tower upgrade would cost N13 billion, Pwajok said the systems were due for upgrade, adding that there was need to close all gaps before the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) audit by the first quarter of 2023.
The NAMA boss also disclosed that multilateration upgrade would cost $12.9 million, adding that the agency had incorporated the unmanned system that could detect drones into the project and explained that it also provides for the capturing of low-level flying helicopters in the Gulf of Guinea and especially in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria, which oil and gas activities attracts high low-level aircraft services.
He said as a navigation tool, multilateration uses a single, mobile receiver to measure the signals transmitted from a number of sites at fixed, known positions.
“It provides us with the monitoring, control and surveillance in those regions where low flying aircraft like helicopters operate,” he said.
While speaking further on the maintenance of the TRACON, Pwajok said, “The TRACON was commissioned in 2010 and we have a five-year maintenance contract, since that period, our engineers have been maintaining it.
“I commend them for this great job; a whole lot of money has been spent in terms of maintenance. TRACON has been working optimally and with this facility, we see everything.
“We see aircraft movement over Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Malabo, Cameroon and many other countries, with the upgrade too, the functionality will change, we are doing this majorly to enhance safety, efficiency, revenue is secondary”, he added.
Chinedu Eze
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