Experts: Nigeria needs over N142 billion to tackle air navigation deficiencies

• Seek amendment of airport funds to tackle ANS hiccups
• Airlines lose $50 million yearly to fuel, delays over ANS inefficiency
• Airlines’ profitability hinges on efficient airspace

Aviation experts have called on the Federal Government to amend the N712 billion allocation for the total rebuilding of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Terminal to include another N142.4 billion to tackle serious Air Navigation Services (ANS), which encompasses a range of services crucial for the safe and efficient operation of aircraft.

There are indications that the Federal Government is shopping for the amount to improve Nigeria’s airspace infrastructure architecture that would improve efficient air traffic management.

Some of the equipment needed to boost the nation’s airspace reliability are Surface Movement Radar (SMR), N22 billion to eliminate runway incursions, Air Traffic Controllers recruitment and training to fill 42% staffing deficit, N25 billion and cyber security to prevent system-wide collapses at N12.4 billion.

Consequently, airlines lose $50 million yearly in fuel and delays due to ANS inefficiencies, a situation that erodes investor confidence when airports lack ANS resilience.

These services include air traffic management, communication, navigation, surveillance, meteorological information for air navigation, aeronautical information services, and search and rescue.

ANS providers ensure that aircraft can travel safely from one point to another by providing the necessary infrastructure and services.

The Chief Executive Officer of Belujane Konsult, Mr. Chris Aligbe, who spoke to Aviation Metric on wide-ranging issues, expressed concern over the country’s obsolete air navigation infrastructure.

He supported the call by other stakeholders on the need not just to build a world-class airport terminal, but also the importance of looking at other critical airspace infrastructure to further the country’s airspace.

His words, “The truth of it is that the money allocated for the terminal is a far cry. I have said it and will continue to say it. We need $2 billion to give us a modern airport. If there are other facilities, they should not attach it to the allocation.”

“The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has the right to say they need an upgrade on facilities. This is necessary and should be taken. The government needs to invest in aviation infrastructure beyond terminals. Not only terminals that make up aviation. They should bring these things to the public forum. They should let us know what type of airports they are building, the capacity of the airport after it has been completed. How many years are they projecting that this airport will last before we rebuild it again”?

Those things should be in the public domain. Airports constructed worldwide are in the public domain for people to know what they are building. Airspace infrastructure is very critical, and I think NAMA should insist that this is what should be done. The Managing Director of NAMA, Ahmed Farouk Umar, knows so much about the entire airport infrastructure over the years. He has his hands-on colleagues. He should let people know so that we will not be talking about terminals alone”.

Another pilot with a leading airline who preferred anonymity said an airport without advanced Air Navigation Services (ANS) is infrastructure without intelligence, adding that, “MMIA’s runways, terminals, and aprons are the body. The agency’s CNS/ATM (Communication, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management) is the central nervous system. Without the latter, the former cannot function in the agency’s journey towards excellence in airspace management.”

He noted that allocating ₦712 billion exclusively to physical infrastructure while ignoring ANS violates ICAO’s fundamental principle of integrated aviation systems (ICAO Doc 9750),  ignores global best practices (Dubai, Singapore, South Africa) where ANS receives 20–30% of major airport funding.

Over time, the country’s radars, especially the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON), have become obsolete and unreliable communications increasing mid-air collision risks. Lagos Terminal Control Area (TMA) handles 60% of Nigeria’s air traffic with 1980s-era systems.

The expert disclosed that without Category III Instrument Landing Systems (ILS), MMIA’s new runways will fail during harmattan, costing airlines ₦28 million/hour in delays (AON Data, 2023). Surface Movement Radar (SMR) gaps make runway incursions 47% more likely (NCAA Safety Audit, 2023).

He, however, called for a public dashboard tracking all ₦712bn expenditures (including NAMA’s portion) with the engagement of Independent auditors (PwC/Deloitte) validating milestones.

He said, “This is your chance to cement a legacy of integrated, safety-focused aviation transformation. The world is watching. For the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, delivering MMIA as a true hub requires ANS. Excluding NAMA sets your vision up for public failure. Airlines’ profitability hinges on efficient airspace.”

“The ₦712 billion MMIA project is a down payment on Nigeria’s future. But an airport without ANS is a warehouse – a monument to incomplete strategy. Amend the allocation immediately to include ₦142.4bn for NAMA”.

Wole Shadare