Airline operators decry obsolete navigation facilities at airports

A shocking revelation about the poor facilities at the nation’s airports was made today by airline operators. To them, Nigerian airports’ communication and virtually all the Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) are less than the standard.

They dispelled insinuations that the delays currently being experienced by airlines were as a result of navigational facilities “that are not working”. To them, the harmattan haze should not be blamed for flight delays but inability to get accurate facilities to land or allow airplanes to operate.

Speaking to the media in an interactive session at the Lagos airport, President, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Captain Noggie Meggison, who spoke on behalf of the carriers said most of the navigational facilities have terribly gone so bad that they give inaccurate signals to aircraft and one that makes it very difficult for airplanes to take off or land in some weather conditions.

His words, “Navigational facilities at most of the airports are not working.It is very shameful that we close airports over little weather situations, whereas in Europe and other places, aircraft take-off in difficult weather situation because of the equipment at their airports. The agencies are not giving us the services required or paid for by airlines.”

He equally disclosed that most of the runways are not marked, a situation he said could lead to runway incursions. Successful air navigation involves piloting an aircraft from place to place without getting lost, breaking the laws applying to aircraft, or endangering the safety of those on board or on the ground.

Air navigation differs from the navigation of surface craft in several ways: Aircraft travel at relatively high speeds, leaving less time to calculate their position on route. Aircraft normally cannot stop in mid-air to ascertain their position at leisure.

Efforts to reach the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) proved abortive. Just last year, NAMA stated that over six airports in the country would be fortified with new navigational aids as part of the efforts to provide safe and efficient air traffic operations across the country.

The agency noted that with the approval of the six airports, no fewer than 12 airports would benefit from the upgrade at the end of the day, since the agency would be replacing the older equipment with new ones at various airports.

Abdulsalam stated that the Federal Government had approved installation of new Navigational Aids in six airports in the country, stressing that the installations will boost operations and create better, improved and safety of airspace.

He explained that NAMA after replacing the navigational aids in these six airports, the ones which were there and are in working condition will be installed in other airports to enhance the system “So what we are looking to is to bring our system up. The one that will be removed will be taking to a station that doesn’t have something that is working well”

Source: wole shadare