NigerianFLIGHTDECK Travel and Business Reportage 
NATIONAL Association of Air Traffic Engineers (NAAE) have called for the training of more of its personnel in the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to enable them get licensed.
President of the NAAE, Engr Ishaya Dung while announcing the association’s Annual General Meeting said a large number of Air Traffic Engineers engineers in NAMA were yet to be licensed as a result of lack of training associated with paucity of funds.
Engr Dung explained that as professionals, ATSEP licensing, rating of personnel and training remained their greatest challenge saying that they have not had enough training.
According to Engr Dung, Air Traffic Safety Electronics Personnel (ATSEP) is an ICAO term for the technical staff involved with the creation and support of the ground-based electronic hardware and software systems used to support air navigation and Air Traffic Management.
He noted that after training at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology Zaria, the engineers will be licensed by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority
Though he revealed that some have been trained, Dung noted that more needed to be trained adding that they were over 400 NAAE members across the country with some getting licensed.
Speaking on the choice of the 2018 theme ‘Aviation Safety – ATSEP Link, the NAAE boss said there was need for all the professional bodies in NAMA to work assiduously in order to achieve one goal of ensuring safety of the airspace adding that NAAE remained the bridge between Pilots and air traffic controllers.
Engr Dung while commending the Management of NAMA for the provision of reliable and functional navigational aid in the country, urged the flying public to continue to have confidence in the system with the dependable surveillance equipment.
“Our equipment is reliably, working well that is why we have successful take offs and landings virtually in all our airports but there might be a few challenge especially in the aspect of communication. But the government has done alot in the area of communication and it has improved on flights”
According to the NAAE boss, the 2018 AGM of the association scheduled for 22nd November 2018 at the Airport Hotel will be attended by the minister of state for aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika as the Special Guest of Honour, Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode will play host, with various aviation parastatal heads gracing the occasion.
