NAMA debunks report of obsolete landing aids at airports

Th e Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has refuted claims that its landing aids at the airports are obsolete. Th e spokesperson for the agency, Mrs. Olajumoke Adetona, who described such claims as “grossly unsubstantiated” said NAMA as the nation’s air navigation service provider has always adhered to the rules and regulations of the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) which Nigeria is a party to its charter.

Prior to the closure of the Abuja Airport for repairs of its runway recently, she said the instrument landing system/ distance measuring equipment (ILS/DME) as well as very high omni-directional radio range (VOR/DME) in Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Lagos, Enugu, Port Harcourt and Bauchi airports were calibrated by South African Flight Calibration Company (FSCL). She added that all the facilities presented were certifi ed as operating optimally without restriction and within ICAO specifi cations. She further said ILS at Runway 18R and 18L at the international and local wings of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos are all serviceable.

“Runway 18R has precision approach lighting system which is one of the best in the industry, while 18L has simple approach lighting system because it is not busy at night. Both of them are working at optimal levels. “Th e Radio Frequency 127.3 MHz has an improved range and is working perfectly just as the Radio Frequency 124.7 MHz is also in good condition and both of them are on presently. “

Th ere is nothing like epileptic communication. It is either you are communicating or you are not communicating. If this were to be true, international fl ights would not have been coming into the country. Nigerian airspace is safe for both local and international fl ights. It is absolutely not true that some areas in the airspace have no communication at all,” she said On the issue of ILS, she said: “All the agency’s ILS are on CAT 2. Most of the aircraft in the country do not even have the facilities to fl y CAT 3 because the aircraft needs to be equipped with CAT 3 facilities to be able to land in zero visibility, just as pilots themselves need to be trained on CAT 3.

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