- Reveals approach to tackle upper airspace communication challenge
Managing Director of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency ( NAMA), Engineer Tayib Odunowo says the Multilateration (MLAT) project being carried out in the Niger Delta region is 90% complete with plans to replicate the same all over the country.
This is just as he has said the Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) is the future and has already won the hearts of operators with its many advantages, especially cost saving measures.
Tayib who was a panellist at the 27th League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) Conference with the theme: “Aviation Industry: Changing Times, Changing Strategies spoke on the sidelines with correspondents
The MLAT, NAMA has consistently insisted, will capture low level flying objects especially helicopters that can fly below the radar ensuring nothing escapes coverage
Odunowo said, “MLAT is 90% done and concentrated in the delta because that region is the busiest airspace in Nigeria but you have all the low flying objects. What NAMA is trying to do right now is have anything flying in that region be equipped with GPS but we are prepared to deploy MLAT all over Nigeria starting from the Delta region. Even in foreign countries MLAT superimposes your radar and they work hand in hand.
On the SBAS and its acceptability so far, Engineer Tayib says the end users do not really have a choice as the system is all about precision which will save them time and cost and enable them to navigate inclement weather.
He said, “They don’t have a choice, SBAS is about precision. What it does, it brings your GPS to zero. Let’s say the tolerance level of your equipment is one foot, when you use SBAS, it brings it down to two inches, that’s really what SBAS does.
“It is a no-brainer especially when you talk about bad radar, harmattan, rain, SBÀS is a must, it must happen. Plus don’t forget we still have challenges with some of our NAVAIDs so it acts as a backup to them. All the airlines love it because it saves them money, it saves them fuel.”
Tayib who also spoke about bridging the gap within the upper airspace said the agency has taken a three-pronged approach starting with rolling out nine(9) solar-powered transmitters, then deploying manpower and also forging ahead with its AIS automation project.
He said that the ongoing AIS automation project is the backbone of everything and before the International Civil Aviation Organisation ( ICAO) Audit, all five International airports in Nigeria will be operational.
After that which he said was the first phase, phase two will commence and the Communication gap will cease to be there.
He explained,”We started the power audit, you know when you want to diagnose a problem, you have to look at the symptoms. So pretty much we have done an in-house review, put a committee together made up of engineering who are the people that. and Communication and operations who are the people in that user department.
“So they have identified key things, key deliverables in order to close that gap, one of them is power. So basically we have rolled out nine(9) solar-powered transmitters. What does that do? This bridges the gap in our communication.
“Second, we have deployed manpower. The communication gap we have is in our upper airspace..The third one is we are doing an AIS automation project which is the backbone of everything we are talking about.
“Everything we are talking about is going to ride on AIS automation and that project is ongoing and before the audit, the contractor promised that all the five international airports will be operational. Once that is complete as phase one, we move to phase two and the Communication problem will be history.” He said.
