Task Before Buhari in Aviation
To improve safety and security in air transport in Nigeria, the in coming administration would have to concentrate on the establishment of critical safety measures, grant the regulatory authority full autonomy and concession airport facilities, Chinedu Ez
Under the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, Nigeria recorded two major air accidents: the Dana Air 992 crash in 2012 and the Associated Aviation 361 crash in 2013. The Dana Air crash was deemed the most tragic accident in the world in 2012. However, the period was the most prolific in the aviation industry in Nigeria. Government embarked on so many projects to improve the sector.
Some of the critical projects carried out at through the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) included the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON). At the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), government acquired and installed many equipment and built facilities that enable foreign and local airlines obtain accurate accurate weather forecasts.
This has significantly improved safety in the airspace.
Also accident investigation equipment was acquired for the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) to facilitate accident investigation and research.
Overall, there has been improvement in air safety despite these two accidents. Pilots that fly in Nigeria’s airspace agree that the airspace is safer than it used to be. Also, there is improved ground to air communication; most part of the airspace is now charted and NAMA is employing modern technologies to further improve flight operation as now it shorter time to fly from one destination to another in Nigeria. There is also accurate weather forecast with on-time predictions.
The Jonathan administration also embarked on airport remodelling projects. Many of the projects could not be completed owing to controversial removal of the then Minister, Stella Odua, who initiated the project and funding constraints. Some of the airport facilities have been completed though, thus setting a target of new expectations. Landing Aids
Many Nigerian airports now have landing aids, including those owned by the federal government and those owned by the state government. Almost all the airports in Nigeria have very high omninidirectional radio range (VOR); they have distance measuring equipment (DME), instrument landing system (ILS) for terminal approach, but some of these are becoming obsolete, so government needs to replace them.
NAMA sources told THISDAY that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has strategic plan for aviation for all member countries and part of this plan is to migrate to satellite navigation from the aforementioned conventional navigational aids. This will not be achieved over night; but government has started the plan to migrate to satellite-based navigation. So the new government would ensure this is realised to further fortify safety in the airspace.
The satellite system is cheaper but at this point the entry barrier is high until a lot of people key into in terms of acquiring the necessary technology that will make it work.
“We have to keep our conventional navigational aids. We have started replacing existing ILS in Lagos. The federal government recently awarded the contract. Our landing aids are running optimally,” a senior NAMA source said. Airfield Lighting
The major drawback, which is even a threat to safety is the failure of succeeding government to provide runway lighting at many of Nigeria’s airports. Without this equipment, aircraft cannot land in the night. Currently, all the airports that do not have airfield lighting do not take in aircraft from 6:00 pm. Lack of airfield lighting is also another major cause of airport underutilisation.
Installation of airfield lighting at all the nation’s airports will boost