The Managing Director of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, has revealed that apart from delivery all the ordered consignment of critical spare parts required for the continuous service and operation of the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) by Thales Group of France, the company will equally implement the project.
While explaining that the process was a sort of turn-around-maintenance (TAM) which would be carried out by the equipment manufacturer, Thales Group, Akinkuotu said the acquisition of spares for TRACON was also in line with the agency’s decision to be proactive in maintaining the nation’s radar facility.
Business Hilights that NAMA had earlier taken delivery of fresh consignment of the critical spare parts and still expects the very last consignment as soon as possible.
The consignment cleared at the Apapa port in Lagos from Thales Group, in France, include MES1 1400A power supply modules, control units and other critical units that will be used by its engineers to effect repairs on any of the nine TRACON installations across the country as may be required to ensure optimal functioning of the system.
Last year, NAMA lamented the lack of spare parts to fix the nearly N28bn TRACON which analysts say is critical for air navigation facility.
TRACON was designed to make air navigation in the country a safer by capturing the entire airspace to ensure that all aircraft in flight are seen by air traffic controllers.
On the cost of the programme, NAMA boss averred that necessary payment had been made for all consignments ordered for and that the nation’s TRACON would in a few months’ time undergo what he described as a total reconditioning process that would ensure that the entire system attained the acceptable reliability level specified by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
