NAMA boosts air safety with installation of ILS in Lagos, Abuja

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has disclosed plans to install CAT-3A instrument landing systems (ILS) at the Lagos and Abuja airports to boost air safety.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, the Managing Director of the agency, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu said the deployment of the hi-tech navigation equipment would ensure aircraft could land in zero-zero visibility given the adverse weather at certain times within the year.
He disclosed that in the last one year, the agency had installed communication radios in strategic areas in the country, upgraded the existing ones and deployed ILS and other navigational aids across the country.
Akinkuotu said a brand new ILS and a Doppler Very High Frequency Omni-directional Range (DVOR) had been installed and calibrated in Kano.
Other areas of progress include improvement in air traffic control (ATC) capacity through training and retraining of critical personnel and others, addressing depleting ATC manpower, enhanced staff welfare through implementation of harmonization of salaries and signing of new condition of service which is awaiting approval by government.
On critical projects to be embarked in the next one year, Akinkuotu said although the issue of aeronautical information services automation (AISA) by the agency has dragged on since 2009, NAMA was determined to see to its completion so that it could migrate to aeronautical information management (AIM) in view of all the deliverables that would accrue to the agency.
Besides, he said the total radar coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) and communication radios would be upgraded; a set of ILS and DVOR be installed in Maiduguri, Jos, Minna and other airports.
Furthermore, he said NAMA would begin the installation of multi-lateration equipment recently approved by government to capture and provide guidance to low-flying aircraft in the Gulf of Guinea.
Commenting on why some airports do not operate night flights, Akinkuotu stated that the local law stipulates that flights to an aerodrome could either be visual-based, that is, visual flight routes (VFR) or instrument-based, instrument flight route (IFR). He said the law specifically states that IFR must be used for any aerodrome to operate during the night and for instruments to be used it must have adequate lighting and navigation.
He said an airport like Benin has navigation but if there was no adequate lighting then IFR cannot take place at that airport as both navigation and lighting go hand in hand for IFR.
ICAO reappoints Fang Liu Scribe for second term
The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) reappointed Dr. Fang Liu by acclamation as Secretary General of the UN Specialized Agency for a second three-year term, beginning August 1, 2018.
“It is my great honour to accept this re-appointment and to continue to drive the transformational changes I have begun across ICAO and its Regional Offices in order to make this a more streamlined and efficient UN specialized agency leading such a dynamic sector,” Liu commented.
Liu was first appointed to the position on 1 August 2015, becoming the first female Secretary General for the UN specialized agency’s Secretariat.
“Over the past nearly three years, ICAO has made strides to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the standard-making process. We have seen an overall increase of Effective Implementation for safety and for security,” Dr. Liu noted in her acceptance remarks.
“We have engaged in promoting the role of aviation and demonstrating how air transport systems contribute to the achievement of the UN SDGs. We have worked very hard to optimize ICAO’s operations and to reinforce the Organization’s implementation support to States, by strengthening the regional presence, enhancing coordination and partnerships, and streamlining technical assistance, cooperation and training.”
“Looking forward, our foremost challenge is the unprecedented traffic growth along with the rapid advancements in aviation technologies. Our principal standard-making function will need to keep pace with these changes. Meanwhile, the time has come to consider a strengthened role for ICAO in implementation support,” she remarked.
She elaborated on a wide range of further aviation safety, security, efficiency and sustainability objectives for the UN agency.