Nigeria’s Airspace Regulator Admits Obsolete Navigation Aids, Promises To Modernise Communication

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has admitted that many of its navigational aids had become obsolete but would start the modernisation of the most critical of them all, communication in the airspace.

The agency has been grappling with the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON), which became inefficient over the years because some of its parts had become outmoded.

In a statement by the agency on Sunday and signed by the Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Abdullahi Musa, NAMA said it would immediately tackle the intractable communication challenges in Nigeria’s airspace and assured the people that the myriads of problems plaguing communication between pilots and controllers would soon be a thing of the past.

The Managing Director of the agency, Ahmed Farouk, promised to immediately fix the communication problem and also declared an emergency on power supply, as NAMA’s installations provided 24 hours service to ensure that aircraft flew safely in Nigeria’s airspace and therefore needed 24 hours power supply.

The agency disclosed that it spent a humongous amount of its revenues on diesel to power its generators and recently considered investing in solar systems.

“The communication architecture of Nigerian airspace is now broadened, addressing issues that were prevalent before. We are dedicated to ensuring seamless communication between pilots and air traffic controllers,” the Managing Director said.

He also disclosed that the federal government has acceded to the overhaul and modernisation of the communication architecture of the country’s airspace.

Air Traffic Controllers had warned that TRACON’s obsolete parts could threaten safety in the airspace and called for the upgrade of the equipment.

Controllers stressed the need for urgent action to be taken to repair and upgrade the equipment, stating that TRACON had become deficient in its communications and surveillance functions and demanded urgent rehabilitation before it breaks down and jeopardises flight operations in Nigeria.

Chinedu Eze

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