NAMA to improve obsolete navigational facilities with N40 billion intervention fund

The Managing Director of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) Ahmed Umar Farouk said the N40 billion presidential intervention fund would improve obsolete navigational facilities that have spanned nearly two decades.

Speaking to Aviation Metric at the weekend, he disclosed that as soon as it is done, the agency would be able to tackle safety critical challenges that are before them regarding communication.

‘For the navigational aids, “As soon as it is done, we will be able to tackle safety critical challenges that are before us as far as communication is concerned.”

He decried many of NAMA’s obsolete facilities, stressing that the average lifespan of electronic systems is between 15 and 20 years, stressing that most of these electronics have been working for more than 20 years.

“You will expect the performance to be below the standard. We are replacing them; we have commenced replacement of all these facilities. If not for funding, we would have finished replacing all of them. But for now, we have done almost 80% but the contractors are still working. The level of patriotism in them is highly commendable. They have understood us and are working hard to ensure they complete the project.”

“Here, we have the surveillance. This is where I have a serious challenge. The Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON); has been having challenges. I will categorically tell you that since 2014, we have not had enough spare parts. The cost of spares is the issue and the obsolete state of the equipment. The FEC has approved the modernization of the TRACON system. 15% of the fund has been paid and we are hopeful when the presentation from Thales, they will commence installation as soon as other things are put in place.”

“We are hopeful that at the end of it, at least the system will go back to optimal performance. That is as far as surveillance is concerned. The other one is the power system is also part of the approval that we got. All these things I am saying, there is a tremendous improvement and the hindrance to working effectively is squarely on the power issue. If they get this N40 billion presidential intervention, I am telling you that in the next few months, we will be able to conquer these challenges,” Farouk added.

The NAMA MD is also worried about the slow pace of the Aeronautical Information System (AIS), lamenting that the programme had been ongoing for more than nine years, stating that funding had slowed down the actualization of the project.

“The Minister of Aviation has come to the rescue of the company. As I speak to you, they have gone back to work because they have been financed and we are hopeful all things will be equal, in the next quarter, this nine-year, ten-year programme will see the light of day and come to fruition. All things being equal, we should complete that project in the third quarter of this year”.

Not a few had taken a swipe at the slow implementation of the system years after other poorest West African countries implemented the project.

Nigeria has over the years remained stagnant with the automation of AIS. While Nigeria has remained stuck in the same position, many have or are moving towards Aeronautical Information Management (AIM).

The objective of the AIS is to ensure the flow of information necessary for the safety, regularity and efficiency of international air navigation. When completed, it will enhance air-to-ground and ground-to-ground information and boost interconnectivity between aircraft and air traffic controllers.

The non-automation of the AIS has made it very difficult for the adoption and usage of e-flight planning and e-reception of raw data.

To achieve success, all the key agencies or data originators including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nigerian Air Force, etc would need to enhance their data collation, origination, processing, storage and exchange system.

Wole Shadare