Nigerian Flight Deck Travel and Business Reportage
THE Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) is said to be gearing up towards certification working in line with the Aerodrome emergency.
This is just as the airport is prepared for emergencies as personnel at the airport have been adequately trained and ready to handle any situation.
Speaking at the mock emergency airport exercise held at the MMIA, the Director of Airport Operations, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Capt Rabiu Yadudu, told newsmen that the agency was working in line with the Aerodrome emergency plan at the airport in readiness towards the certification.
Capt Yadudu explained that the exercise will lead to certification of the airport as both personnel and equipment were being tested.
He said FAAN personnel were always ready to the response time as stipulated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation while their training will be taking seriously.
Also speaking Airport Manager MMIA, Nehemiah Auta said the essence of the exercise was to test the capability of the personnel and the equipment on ground to ensure that they conform with emergency requirements.
The Airport Manager explained that with the required personnel on ground, there was no reason why the response time will not be met in the event of emergency at the airport.
According to Auta, with proper coordination, improved level of alertness and cooperation from various sister organizations in the system, emergency remained a great task.
He stressed the need to improve on the level of alertness and communication among the agencies. “We have a structure on ground and all we need to do is to test the structure, to know how they will respond and if they are being reached”
“We are trying to improve on the level of our alertness towards emergency because emergency can be in the day, at night or at anytime. The timely response is what matters. You can imagine an aircraft engulf in flames, the time response of the medical support matters. That’s the essence”
Auta said with the category 9 status of MMIA, that the airport has adequate fire tender and was ready to handle emergency situations.
He also explained that the mock exercise was also to enable them display their might towards the certification of the MMIA airport adding in the next few months the MMIA will be certified.
The exercise was which is conducted once in a year, was witnessed by both stakeholders and Lagos State governments response agencies.
