NAMA Oils Machine for Area Radar Control

Nnamdi Udoh, managing director, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has said that a considerable number of air traffic controllers have been trained to handle area radar control in the country to further boost air navigation services and safety.

Area radar control, a factor in air traffic control service is an enabler for airplanes flying within the Flight Information Region (FIR).

Udoh told airline pilots in Lagos that Friday, February 22 has been scheduled for the test run of the area radar control with the operating airlines while the implementation day has been fixed for Friday, April 12.

The NAMA boss while asking for the co-operation of the pilots said the industry regulatory agency-NCAA is being carried along to give approval for the immediate implementation of this air traffic service to airlines.

According to him, benefits to be derived from the area radar control include; increased airspace capacity, improved safety, reduced fuel consumption, reduced flight time and efficient flow of air traffic.

He disclosed that other steps taken by NAMA to enhance air safety in the country are in the areas of uninterrupted power supply at the nation’s airports, maintenance and rapid training and retraining of staff.

In his remarks, Capt. Edward Boyo, MD, Overland Airlines, congratulated NAMA for the unprecedented transformation going on in the agency like the TRACON project and the recent  airfield lighting at runway 18 left at MMIA, saying ‘’ that Nigerian pilots are happy to be associated with the dynamism of the MD and the massive development going on at airports across the country’’.

Earlier in his remarks, Capt John Obakpolor (rtd), an aviation expert affirmed that NAMA has made tremendous improvement in service delivery under the leadership of Engr. Udoh, adding that NAMA has moved away from analogue era to digital service delivery.

He enjoined airline pilots to take advantage of the feedback channels and hotlines provided by the agency and made complaints as well as provide on the spot reports of challenges they encounter in the course of their flight operations as this would further enhance NAMA’s service delivery profile.