NAMA guarding against collision, airfield threat with SMR

Air traffic control is a critical aspect of aviation safety. It involves managing the movement of aircraft on the ground and in the air to ensure safety. WOLE SHADARE writes that NAMA is improving air safety with Surface Movement Radar (SMR) at Lagos and Abuja airports

Safety appraisal

Keeping track of ground traffic at airports is particularly important at a time when runway safety incidents appear to be surging.

For some, the two major airports in Nigeria, the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport Abuja have grappled with incidences of runway incursion, excursions, stowaway, uncontrolled vehicular movements around the airfields of these two busy aerodromes.

Participants at the SMR sensitisation forum in Lagos

 

Most of the time, these incidents tend to cause the closure of the airports, especially that of Lagos because of the failure to detect incidents that could lead to incursion, excursion and general safety around the ground operations of the airports.

Shortage of infrastructure or the inability to deploy safety critical equipment to monitor these sensitive areas equally led to the vandalisation of airfield lighting sometime last year causing embarrassment to the nation. It led to concerns about the safety of the country’s airports.

NAMA/FG intentional about safety

Nigeria has since last year begun the installation of Surface Movement Radar (SMA). The project has reached 95 per cent completion stages for the two busy airports of Lagos and Abuja and is expected to be ready before the end of the year.

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has since conducted the site acceptance test for its newly installed surface movement radar and ground control systems in Abuja and Lagos airports to enable air traffic controllers to monitor aircraft and vehicular movement during low visibility or night time.

The agency had embarked on the procurement of the surface movement radar due to its capability for detection, monitoring, and control of aircraft and vehicles on the ground to prevent collision between aircraft, and between aircraft and vehicles as well as between aircraft and obstacles on the ground (runway, taxiway, and apron).

Surveillance

The surface movement radar which is primary radar would provide surveillance for aircraft and vehicles on the ground for the air traffic controller rather than physically seeing or looking out on the runway, the apron, taxiway, or parking gate.

The SMR utilizes the principle of operation of the PSR, where an emitted ray is reflected by the target, which on returning via echo is picked up by the radar to determine the object’s azimuth and range of the target. The range and bearing of each aircraft detected are then presented to the air traffic controller.

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Technical input

Speaking technically on the equipment and its use for air traffic ground control at the sensitization event, Principal Air Traffic Control Officer (PATCO) in the Directorate of Air Traffic Services, NAMA, Ebelechukwu Chiezie-Kuti said the SMR is radar equipment specifically designed to detect all principal features on the surface of an airport, including aircraft and vehicular traffic and to present the entire image on an aircraft indicator console in the control tower.

She equally stated that complex traffic flow may require an Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS) to function as a surface management system by providing for the planning and management of all aircraft and authorized vehicles in the manoeuvring area while interfacing with the air traffic management (ATM) system (ICAO) Doc 9830 and 9467.

The procedures according to Chiezie-Kuti are complementary to the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) of ICAO Annex 2 (Rules of the Air) Annex 11 (Air Traffic Services) and Doc 4444 Procedures of Air Navigation Services-Air Traffic Management, PANS-ATM.

Enhancing controllers’ situational awareness

The SMR was hailed for its effectiveness in the smooth provision of air traffic control services by enhancing the controllers’ situational awareness regarding the manoeuvring area, monitoring the movement of aircraft and vehicles in the manoeuvring areas, helping routing information to pilots and vehicle drivers as necessary and provides advice and assistance for the safe and efficient movement of aircraft and vehicles on the manoeuvring area.

Presently, what obtains is that the ground control is manually done. Air traffic controllers at the tower look outside to see where the aircraft is, to separate it, clear it for takeoff, and landing, and direct it to taxi to the parking gate.

But with surface movement radar, guidance on the ground is automated as every surface movement is displayed clearly on the console.

Consequently, the air traffic controller can see the aircraft and guide it while taxiing on the ground from the departure gate to the runway for takeoff, and once it takes off, he hands it over to the approach control.

Surface movement radar has been noted to detect conflicts. If two aircraft are going to converge at a point, it can give an alert to the controller to prevent a collision on the ground.

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Transition

At the moment, NAMA is using the mobile tower to augment the view. But with surface movement radar, controllers won’t need the mobile tower there anymore as every part of the airport will be visible from the console.

While preparing to commission the very important safety tool, NAMA at the weekend held a sensitization meeting with all domestic, and international airlines operating to Nigeria, stakeholders comprising the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) security operatives and got the buy-in of the stakeholders who lauded the initiative. They expressed joy that it would enhance their operations and help to increase safety around the airfield and enhance ground operations.

NAMA is also working with FAAN and the airlines to ensure that all vehicles coming to the airside carry a transponder to enable the surface movement radar to identify them and the controller to communicate and control them.

Experts’ views

At the sensitization forum, the Managing Director of NAMA, Ahmed Umar Farouk who was represented by the agency’s General Manager Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos Mr. Ogogore Jonny Kevwe explained that the radar system is configured in two parts which are the primary and secondary.

Speaking to Aviation Metric, he said, “Every aircraft will be seen by the primary radar but it won’t be able to say this is a particular vehicle or not. With the transponder and with the code that we have imputed; we can identify the actual vehicle because we are going to give you a code, and the vehicle is going to be registered.

“We are going to reveal everything. We will have clear identification of vehicles that are going to the airside. They are all carrying transponders. So, if there is any infringement, it is easier to identify the aircraft and they can also relay to FAAN security to get those vehicles out or impounded from the airside.”

He stated that NAMA thought it wise to further improve safety when it comes to ground movement, stressing that in addition to helping the controllers, it will help NAMA to improve its workforce and also help the other agencies especially FAAN on the control of vehicles and other incursions to the airside.

“You find out that there are hundreds of vehicles that are in the airside just going in. Now, there will be control to monitor and then it will also help in emergencies because we can see about six kilometres around the airfield. It will improve and enhance the safety of the airside safety on the ground and safety in the air. We are appreciative of the Federal Government’s support, especially my MD who assumed office not quite long ago and he is pushing this because he is very passionate about the safety of the airspace.”

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 Deputy General Manager Terrestrial Services of NAMA, Dr. Felicia Agubata described the SMR sensitization event as one of the very best that has happened to the aviation industry.

She hinted that NAMA in its wisdom decided to install Surface Movement Radar in the busiest airports in Nigeria Lagos and Abuja for the effectiveness of safety of air navigation in Nigeria.

Her words, “With this, the era of a stowaway in the past, the era of runway incursion and excursion will be a thing of the past because controllers in the tower will not just see the targets on the runway but will be able to respond and pass information to the appropriate enforcement authorities to take action immediately, real-time as it is happening.”.

“In the past, we had issues whereby motorcycles or vehicles would pass through an aircraft undetected. When such a thing happens, controllers will be able to know that particular vehicle and take appropriate actions. That is the importance of today’s event. It is actually to enhance air safety on the ground. It is an excellent initiative of NAMA. We appreciate the management of NAMA, the Ministry and the Federal Government”.

‘We are going to collaborate with FAAN. We are going to collaborate with the CAA because FAAN is going to have to monitor the people stowing away and vandalizing critical safety equipment can be tracked.”    

Last line

NAMA has become very proactive on the issue of safety like it has always done over the years, it is recommended that there should be modification to the SMR in future just as controllers, pilots and vehicle drivers should be provided with systems of the same level of performance as advised in doc 9830 part 1.2 and doc 9467.

Wole Shadare

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