Yemisi Izuora
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has assured that with the current level of support from government the Aeronautical Information Services, AIS Automation project will soon be completed.
The assurance is coming on the heels of a release making the rounds in the media to the effect that the agency had abandoned the implementation of the AIS automation.
The said release by the Aeronautical Information Management Association of Nigeria (AIMAN) was quoted as saying that “NAMA management has neglected the implementation of the AIS Automation, thereby exposing personnel to Covid-19 pandemic.”
According to NAMA, “In fact, nothing can be farther from the truth! While we use the opportunity of the World AIS Day celebration to congratulate our hardworking staff across the country for their dedication to duty, it is pertinent to put things in proper perspective for the benefit of unsuspecting stakeholders in the sector and the general public.”
The agency recalled that the AIS Automation contract was signed since 2009.
“Without prejudice to previous efforts, we would like to state that the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari through the dedicated leadership of the Honourable Minister, Sen. Hadi Sirika has made remarkable interventions targeted at actualizing the AIS Automation project.
“These interventions came by way of granting and approval of funding for the project which never happened in the past. The agency on its part has never relented in its bid to actualize this dream. For instance, the installation of VSAT nodes necessary for the transmission of data to remote locations is currently ongoing with 8 important nodes already running.
“The joint pilot briefing offices where the AIS Automation will operate from are simultaneously being installed with 8 offices fully completed.” NAMA saud in a statement.
Only yesterday, another batch of equipment for installation landed at the seaport and is being cleared in Lagos, it said.
According to NAMA, Following management’s desire to fast-track the automation project, the contractor was recently mandated to air-freight Kano and Kaduna master VSAT equipment for immediate installation instead of shipping. Kano VSAT is already up and running while that of Kaduna has been cleared to NAMA stores for immediate installation.
It further confirmed that the Aeronautical Message Handling System (AMHS) and AIS database have been manufactured and are ready for shipment
“The point must also be made that management has vigorously pursued the training and retraining of different categories of AIS staff preparatory to the takeoff of automation.
While several batches of personnel have undergone factory training at different times, other AIS staff have equally been trained at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, (NCAT) Zaria to ensure they are at par with their colleagues worldwide.
“It is pertinent to note that the ongoing project is huge and all-encompassing, even as it seeks to address many gaps in the sector including the automation of AIS processes which had remained unattended to in the past”, the statement added.