The Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) Farouk Ahmed Umar has warned the country is at the risk of losing its airspace surveillance service due to the obsolete state of the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) equipment because of the difficulties in getting spare parts as the technology is outdated.
TRACON systematically monitors and tracks aircraft in the airspace, using radar and transponders. It helps Air Traffic Controllers to identify aircraft in the airspace, its location, where it is headed and its altitude.
For over five years, TRACON’s efficiency has been impeded due to outdated parts; the failure of the agency to replace these ageing parts of the equipment, which went on stream in the first quarter of 2010.
Farouk explained the life span of such important high-tech equipment is usually 10 years but said since 2014 the TRACON equipment began to go out of fashion as countries around the world began to migrate to more sophisticated and advanced technology.
He emphasised that providing air navigation services in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) requirements might be a challenge if urgent steps are not immediately taken to upgrade the TRACON.
The TRACON project, a crucial, multibillion-naira project, was commissioned in 2001 to enhance air safety by providing full radar surveillance across Nigerian airspace.
The project involves nine radar sites maintained by NAMA in partnership with Thales of France, designed to track and identify aircraft in real-time by combining Primary Surveillance Radar (PSR) and Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) for monitoring, identifying, and controlling air traffic to enhance safety.
Briefing the new Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mahmoud Adam Kambari, who paid a familiarisation visit to his office in Abuja, Farouk outlined the challenges, ongoing projects and planned projects of the agency.
He said: “Our area of urgent attention includes the ATS surveillance service. The TRACON System has aged (deployment started in 2008; completed in 2010). The Components are becoming obsolete with no spare parts. Most parts are working without back-up. The airspace is at the risk of losing surveillance service.”
The NAMA MD listed some of the challenges faced by the agency to include the lack of federal government budgetary provisions for safety critical projects, high operational cost due to value of the naira, 30% federal government deduction from NAMA internally generated revenue (IGR), which he said is impeding NAMA from meeting its critical obligations.
Others are inadequate operational and technical manpower to cope with increasing demand for air navigation services, inadequate training for operational and technical personnel due to paucity of funds, high level of indebtedness by airlines and state airports.
Chinedu Eze
