NAMA embarks on aggressive navigational facility upgrade
- Begins equipment calibration in 24 airports
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) said it had in the past 18 months embarked on an aggressive upgrade of navigational infrastructure in strategic airports in the country.
The agency noted that Cat II Instrument Landing Systems /Distance Measuring Equipment (ILS/DME) have already been installed in Kaduna, Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt airports.
It noted that in the same vein, installation of Doppler Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range (DVOR) is ongoing at Maiduguri airport while that of ILS/DME is also in progress at Benin airport. Upgrade of facilities in other airports is to follow soon.
The agency made the clarification in a reaction to a report (Not in Woleshadarenews) titled, “Flight Disruption Looms over Obsolete Navigational equipment,” wherein the author attributed alleged imminent “massive flight delays and cancellations” during the yuletide to “near obsolete navigational facilities at airports nationwide.”
The Management of NAMA in a statement made available to our reporter, said it saw the allegations as totally, “erroneous and misleading especially when viewed against ongoing efforts by the agency in the area of infrastructure upgrade across major airports in Nigeria”.
Meanwhile, work has reached an advanced stage on the installation of Cat III ILS in Lagos and Abuja.
Already, a team of NAMA engineers are currently undergoing Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) of the CAT III equipment in the United States of America in preparation for its take-off by January 2019.
Ahead of the factory acceptance test for CAT III ILS, NAMA has commenced a routine calibration of navigational facilities in 24 airports across the country.
When completed in two weeks’ time, the calibration exercise which is targeted at putting all navigational aids in optimal capacity would ensure that the facilities generate precise and accurate signals to guarantee the safety of air navigation in the country.
Also to be calibrated and commissioned are the newly installed ILS/DME facilities in Lagos and Port Harcourt airports.
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