The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) on Sunday disclosed that it was making plans to ensure an automated system that will enhance capacity and provide ecient safety in air trac management in the country.
the agency’s Acting Managing Director, Mr. Matthew Pwajok, said this when he featured in a forum at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. According to him, the increased demand for air travel in the country had made it imperative for the agency to increase the services and facilities that will enhance safety of ight operations nationwide.
NAN further quoted Pwajok as saying that the management’s strategic plan or roadmap is to be able to provide improved capacity of air trac management system such that the control towers, area control centres, control units that provide guidance for ight and also provide support for safety and eciency of ight are expanded to be able to accommodate the expected growth in trac. He claried:
“the International Civil Aviation Organisation predicted that every 15 years, there is a doubling, a 100 per cent increase in ight operations and movement of ights. “So we did a 15 year prediction to 2030, a national plan from 2015 to 2030 incorporating various strategic programmes that will enhance navigation that will enhance communication system. ”‑at will enhance surveillance system, that will enhance air trac management system as well as search and rescue aeronautical information management system.
So, bottom line is, our strategy is to provide automated systems,’’ Pwajok added. Noting that the agency has been using a procedural or manual system in the past that usually take a lot of time and increase workload for the air trac controllers, the Acting MD explained that with the automated system, workload, errors and inaccuracy would be reduced, adding that it would also enhance the integrity of the information provided to pilots.
Pwajok further said that the strategy was to automate the agency’s systems for communication, for navigation, for surveillance, for air trac management systems and for search and rescue as well as air space planning. He hinted that the agency had a couple of projects already scheduled for implementation even as some are being implemented, adding that “what we want to achieve is what I will refer to as automated air trac management system from gate-to[1]gate.
From departure gate to the arrival gate.’’ ‑e NAMA boss said this would ensure provision of surveillance/ radar control from the packing gate to the runway for departure/ take[1]o, for air road ight and arrival at the destination airport.