Yemisi Izuora
The Federal Government has concluded plans to install multi-million dollar Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) at Lagos and Kano airports, to deal with cases of flight disruptions usually prompted by inclement weather.
The tools are Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) and VHF omnidirectional range (VOR). The DME is a navigation beacon, usually coupled to enable aircraft to measure their position relative to that beacon. Aircraft send out signal, which is sent back after a fixed delay by the DME.
The Managing Director of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, said the agency recognises that apart from the adverse weather associated with this time of the year, there is also a huge demand for air traffic services and has taken steps to strengthen its technical and operational capacity.
Although, Akinkuotu was silent on the cost of the instrument, aggregating the numbers from several quarters, getting a Category II/III system up and running these days would cost at least $3 million per runway, plus at least $10,000 or so per year just to keep it certified.
Earlier this year, the Federal Government through NAMA made order and contracts for 11 airfields ILS.
Akinkuotu admitted that visibility at many of the aerodromes is bad, but gave assurance that with operable ILS to go to the aerodromes, “come December this year, there should be no excuse of them not landing in harmattan.”
He said that all the country’s navigational facilities are working at optimal levels, with precision approach landing aids at the five international airports where traffic is high also in top form.
There have been efforts made over the years to install airfield lighting at some airports in the country but such efforts end woefully as they were usually followed by scandals of huge sums of money diverted by the government officials.
Experts said items to be considered include the cost of installing power lines and control cables, where required; the cost of site grading or landfill; the cost of the antenna support (concrete slab versus elevated platform) and the cost of constructing site access roads.
They stated that the exact location of the array should be the least costly site consistent with the required level of service.The NAMA boss explained that there are two basic sets of costs associated with an ILS: installation costs, purchase of equipment, site surveying and preparation and upkeep costs.
Akinkuotu equally disclosed that air traffic controllers and other critical staff have been deployed to busy airports to ensure that there is no fatigue arising from pressure of work.
He boss also noted that airspace managers in all Nigerian airports have consequently been directed to embark on measures to strengthen air traffic management and surveillance systems in their respective domains to ensure maximum operational safety during the yuletide.
The NAMA boss reiterated that the need for extra vigilance at this time became imperative due to the usual upsurge in traffic and the increased tempo of airport activities that come with the season.
He said as a department saddled with the responsibility of actualising the economic objective of the agency, it behoves the staff to operate a transparent platform whereby all the agency’s earnings are clearly harvested through proper issuance of invoices for settlement of charges.