- On-board meals: Minister directs foreign airlines to patronise local catering for outbound flights
- Disused airplanes hamper security, airport aesthetics
- Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited Celebrates Customer Service Week
- Solace in private sector to close aviation infrastructure deficit gap
- Experts: IGR insufficient to tackle decaying aviation infrastructure
Radar overhaul, spares to gulp $2m
- NAMA, Thales end rift
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has begun the overhaul of the 66 million total radar coverage of Nigeria, otherwise known as TRACON.
The refurbishing of the airspace surveillance equipment could cost the government over $2 million or more according to a maintenance engineer who spoke to Woleshadarenews in Lagos under the condition of anonymity.
The source that pleaded anonymity stated that NAMA would recondition the system to enable it meet the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standard.
Reconditioning is the overhaul of the airspace radar equipment to keep pace with global best practices.
Former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, on October 17, 2010, commissioned the multi-billion naira project.
A total of eight other locations now host the same project, following the completion of installation work across the country. The project comprises four Primary Radar and five Secondary Radar Heads co-located in Nnamdi Azikwe, Murtala Muhammad, Malam Aminu Kano and Port Harcourt International airports.
The architectural design of TRACON consists of voice communication systems, voice recording systems, very high frequency transceivers, fibre optic, display consoles, integrated aircraft billing systems and spares while radars at the international airports comprise of both the primary and secondary radars.
The TRACON projects, which was embarked upon to address the safety needs of the industry, is also aimed at providing total coverage for the Nigerian airspace in order to enhance civil and military surveillance of aircraft (s) operating within the country.
TRACON, which is now operational after all hurdles, has five relay stations, which serve as standalone Secondary Surveillance Radar located at Talata Mafara, Maiduguri, Numan, Obubra and Ilorin.
Ever since the commissioning, the equipment was yet to be overhauled occasioned by the starving of the agency with important spares that put the system into serious risk.
But with the delivery of spares to the agency penultimate week, many of the components are to be replaced to allow for great functionality and accurate reading of the highly sensitive facility.
NAMA Managing Director Captain Fola Akinkuotu, said the exercise would involve a turnaround maintenance, which is to be carried out by the equipment manufacturer- Thales Group of France.
The agency took delivery of another consignment of critical spare parts required for the exercise.
The consignment, cleared at the Apapa port in Lagos, came from Thales Group. It includes MES1 1400A power supply modules, control units and other critical units.
The spare parts, Akinkuotu said, would be used by NAMA engineers on any of the nine TRACON installations across the country to ensure their optimal functioning.
“The relationship between NAMA and the equipment manufacturer, Thales has never been frosty as some reports would have it,” he said. “In fact, it has been very cordial and we are poised to continue to keep it that way. You will recall that we cleared some consignments of spare parts for TRACON last year from the same Thales.”
He disclosed that another consignment was being cleared at the Apapa port, adding that other consignments were expected from Thales as payments had been made.
Akinkuotu had caused a scare when he raised the alarm last year that the airspace surveillance system’s operations may be hampered due to lack of spare parts
He however, stated that the radar had remained functional, thanks to the ingenuity of NAMA engineers who have kept it working, stressing that the contractors for the multi billion naira project, Thales, a French firm had reneged in supplying spares for the life-saving equipment.
Corroborating Akinkuotu, Director Safety Electronics and Engineering Services (DSEES), Farouk Umar Ahmed said the agency had been having challenges with the equipment since 2014, adding that for over two years, Thales had refused to supply them spare parts.
His words: “Since 2014, we have been managing this (radar) without spares. We are pleading with the Minister of State for Aviation to plead with Thales of France to do the needful,” he added.
Google+