…Airspace Fully Covered by Radar
…Air Traffic Controllers’ Welfare Adequately Addressed
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has described media reports of inadequate coverage of the Nigerian airspace as unfounded and misleading.
Reacting to the report, the Managing Director, NAMA, Farouk Ahmed in a statement, says, Nigerian airspace is covered by radar, with serviceable radar stations in Kano, Lagos, Abuja, and Port-Harcourt.
According to him, these stations provide effective air navigation services for Terminal and Enroute flights.
While the TRACON system is undergoing software upgrades and modernization to enhance air traffic management, this is a standard practice for electronic systems.
Regarding the welfare of Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers, Ahmed said, it is incorrect to suggest that their salaries and allowances are among the lowest globally, adding that, NAMA ensures sustainable welfare packages for its staff, particularly Air Traffic Controllers.
He adds, “The reported “unidentified” aircraft is a security terminology. In real terms, the aircraft in question is known, but only to the ATC. The violation was in the interest of safety, as a result of adverse weather (serious thunderstorm) on the said date. The purported circular issued by the NCAA is for airlines to be guided from straying into the marked and published prohibited or restricted areas of the Nigerian airspace”.
“It is obvious that the journalist in question does not understand the workings of the surveillance systems, hence his misconstrued and misguided information on Primary and Secondary Radar. The agency shall willfully volunteer information on her services to anyone who requires them at any time”, Ahmed emphasized.
The NAMA boss assured, the agency remains dedicated to providing safe, effective, economical, and efficient air navigation services in Nigeria. Robust civil and military coordination ensures a secure airspace, and NAMA assures that Nigerian airspace is safe and secured.
