The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency says it has commenced a programme aimed at decongesting the Lagos airspace through the zoning of the Lagos Sub-flight Information Region, also known as Sub-FIR airspace, into Lagos-West and Lagos-East Area Control Centres.
The Managing Director, NAMA, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, who stated this at a stakeholders’ sensitisation forum, said the move was in line with the agency’s commitment to enhancing the quality of air traffic services in the country.
According to him, the Lagos Area Control Centre manages 15 subsidiary aerodromes within the southern sector of the Nigerian airspace, including flights overflying the upper airspace, which was created out of the Kano Area Control Centre hitherto controlling the entire national airspace.
He said, “The project is aimed at reducing congestion on the available en-route radio frequency as well as increasing air traffic management capacity in order to manage the growing air traffic volume and simultaneously reduce delays within the Kano Flight Information Region.
“Sectorising the Lagos ACC will bring about optimum utilisation of the airspace by reducing controller-pilot workload, thereby increasing efficiency and quality of service delivery.”
Akinkuotu, who was represented by NAMA’s Director of Operations, Mr. Gabriel Akpen, said the sectorisation of the Lagos Sub-FIR would also reduce the safety implications of overload on the air traffic control system and personnel, as well as provide functional air navigation services that would meet international standards within the Kano FIR at no cost to the users.
He also stated that the service quality of communication navigation and the Surveillance/Air Traffic Management would as well be enhanced, while the sectorisation process would be streamlined in accordance with provisions of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations and requirements of the International Civil Aviation Standard and Recommended Practices.
“As part of the process, NAMA is currently optimising the VHF radio and installing a high-powered stand-alone VHF radio as backup to the total VHF coverage of Nigeria,” he said.
He added that the agency had also embarked on manpower training and simulation exercise in collaboration with the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria to increase capacity.
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