• Operators blame poor communication, unqualified traffic controllers• House of Reps tasks aviation agencies on standards
Air Traffic Control is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers, who direct aircraft on the ground and through controlled airspace, and provide critical safety advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airspace. The primary purpose of ATC worldwide is to prevent collisions, organise and expedite the flow of traffic, and provide information and other support to all aircraft in its airspace.
“As a pilot, you will often hear the controller shouting things like, ‘Oga, where is the radar control?’ They were not properly trained before coming to the tower. The extra 10 to 20 minutes of fuel usage, who is going to pay for it? These are the issues.” The previous administration invested heavily in the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria to see all aircraft in the airspace. “But what use is seeing aircraft when you cannot talk to them? The government awarded a contract that I will call foolish to a company that has never executed any aviation contract in the world. NAMA has paid up to 95 per cent of the sum and no single satellite node has been installed. How then can you have effective communication? You are not going to have it,” Nwankwo said.
“NAMA will now restructure the airspace in accordance with the capacity of the communication system. We have identified Lagos as very large to be captured by one means of communication. What to do is have new area control centres in Port Harcourt and Abuja. Abuja, to take care of areas Kano is not able to cover adequately, while Port Harcourt centre takes care of the east that Lagos cannot cover.
He added: “You are seeing it as NAMA problem alone; but what has the enforcement agency or authority done about it? If you take time to look carefully into various safety recommendations, you are likely to see similar warnings in other agencies and service providers. What has the enforcement agency on safety regulations and recommendations done about them?
What does it cost to adhere to international best practices in highly regulated sector like aviation? Must our system always get kleg?!
This is a very serious safety issue that aviation stakeholders should take seriously before aircraft start having issues up in the sky, how can a Pilot be flying blind, deaf and dumb after 200 nautical miles
That’s another security threat to the nation at a whole, how can a country stand good without a good airspace communication, so that means drones can penetrates our airspace without any notification. So sad for Nigeria my country. We can be under siege anytime soon. Believe me.
Why are we hell bent on being unfortunate in this country?
Lord have mercy on us!!!
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