Airlines avoid Nigeria's airspace due to communication difficulties

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA has said the faulty communication system in the Nigerian airline traffic control system has led to most airlines avoiding the Nigerian airspace.

According to the Managing Director of NAMA, Farouk Umar, there was an urgent need for the agency to improve the communication system. He also noted that the expansion of aviation routes has led to more demand and has outweighed the current condition of the industry's air traffic control system.

Speaking during an interview session with BusinessDay, Umar noted that shortly after the new management came on board, they collaborated with the FG to invest more in the sector.

“We realised that there were so many openings, so many routes, we had to increase more stations to have signals that would cover the entire Nigeria. The entire communication had been re-designed to make sure that everywhere, every blind spot is covered and where we are today, even if one system fails, the air traffic controller will not notice because there is an overlap and one overlaps the other; the other one will assist you” he added.

Umar further noted that the major issues in the industry were not really about the equipment but the absence of power.

He added that to keep things working in the industry, he declared an emergency on power while sorting out alternatives.

While noting the stand of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on aviation management especially as it concerns power outages during operations, Umar said the team decided to deploy the three main power sources which include the national grid, power generators, and the third which is solar to ensure the facilities have an uninterrupted power supply.

He also mentioned that through the office of the aviation minister, Festus Keyamo, ₦40 billion has been budgeted by the Presidency for intervention in the industry although the money is yet to be accessed.

“As soon as it is done, we will be able to tackle safety critical challenges that are before us as far as communication is concerned” he added.