NAMA begins to end blind spots in Eastern corridor of the Nigerian airspace
Ahead of full resumption of runway repairs at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), this week flagged off installation of equipments to end blind spots in the eastern corridor of the Nigerian airspace.
Key installations coming to Enugu that will drive upper radio communication access to pilots in the corridor include Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) station, and Very High Frequency (VHF) radio systems at the international airport.
Besides, there are fears that since recently especially when it rains, many pilots landing or taking off from Lagos Airport experience no-radio communication airspace after 200 nautical miles away and industry experts say the development is dangerous to air safety.
However, in an interview, the Managing Director of NAMA, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, explained that the installation of the VSAT and VHF equipment would enhance upper airways communication along the South East corridor using 127.3MHz radiofrequency.
While revealing that “The agency’s determination is to totally eliminate blind spots from the upper airspace informed the recent deployments, Akinkuotu added that “We have seen improvement along the North East corridor that we tackled lately in Jos, and we are determined to see that communication is 5/5 in the entire airspace.
“If you can communicate just once instead of five times, the person at the receiving end understands you and is happy just as you are happy.
“If we can get better radios with good clarity, it will lessen the burden and make the job easier for both the air traffic controller and the pilot,” he said.
NAMA boss further promised to address concerns raised by controllers bordering on work tools, staff training, and welfare among others.
