The Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Farouk Ahmed Umar, has alerted the nation to a significant risk concerning its airspace surveillance capabilities. He explained that the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) equipment is facing obsolescence, making it increasingly difficult to secure spare parts and potentially leading to a loss of surveillance service.
TRACON is a vital system designed to monitor and track aircraft within the nation's airspace, utilizing radar and transponders to identify aircraft, their locations, destinations, and altitudes for Air Traffic Controllers.
The efficiency of TRACON has been compromised for over five years due to its aging components. The agency has faced challenges in replacing these parts since the equipment, which was operationalised in early 2010, began to age.
Farouk highlighted that such advanced technological equipment typically has a lifespan of about 10 years. He noted that by 2014, the TRACON system started becoming outdated as countries globally began transitioning to more sophisticated and advanced technologies.
He stressed that maintaining air navigation services in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) requirements could become a significant challenge if immediate measures are not taken to upgrade the TRACON system.
The TRACON project, a substantial investment costing billions of naira, was inaugurated in 2001 with the aim of enhancing air safety through comprehensive radar surveillance across Nigeria's airspace.
The project comprises nine radar sites managed by NAMA in collaboration with Thales of France. Its purpose is to monitor, identify, and control air traffic in real-time using a combination of Primary Surveillance Radar (PSR) and Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) to bolster safety.
During a briefing for the new Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mahmoud Adam Kambari, who was on a familiarisation visit, Farouk detailed the agency's challenges, ongoing initiatives, and future plans.
He stated, "Our area of urgent attention includes the ATS surveillance service. The TRACON System has aged (deployment started in 2008; completed in 2010). The Components are becoming obsolete with no spare parts. Most parts are working without back-up. The airspace is at the risk of losing surveillance service."
The NAMA MD also pointed out several obstacles hindering the agency. These include the absence of federal government budgetary allocations for essential safety projects, elevated operational costs due to the devaluation of the naira, a 30% deduction from NAMA's internally generated revenue (IGR) by the federal government, which hampers the agency's ability to meet its crucial responsibilities.
Further challenges encompass an insufficient number of operational and technical staff to manage the growing demand for air navigation services, inadequate funding for training operational and technical personnel, and a high level of outstanding debts owed by airlines and state-owned airports.
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