…as NACAN seeks more 300 personnel to fill manpower gap
Posted by Sade Williams
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) Capt Fola Akinkoutu says the ATS Message Handling System (AMHS) will commence full operations in the next two weeks to evolve the digital system with a wider band.
With this, there will be no limitation of messages to be transmitted with high speed and adequate feedback as against the AFTN with its channel check transmission
This will give clearer messages as the communicators’ job get easier.
Akinkoutu who announced this said that the AMHS system of communications was in place and needed global politics to make it work as it was supposed to be switched on in Kano but the contractor picked Germany as the switch on point.
Speaking as the chief host at the 25th anniversary of the National Airtraffic Communicators Association of Nigeria (NACAN)in Abuja, Capt Akinkoutu said NAMA has improved on training and employment since 2017 while communications has been improved upon.
According to him, the management was addressing the issue of shortage of manpower, trainings and equipment since 2017 when he came on board.
While emphasising that Aero communications was critical in ensuring safety in the aviation sector, Ainkoutu explained that the federal government recognized the contributions of NACAN to the development of the aviation industry and was doing everything possible to enure that they get the best of treatment.
He stressed that the International Civil Aviation Organisation from the very beginning, recognized Aero communications as a means of communication for safety.
He noted that the success made by aviation was as a result of the fact that aviation has been in the forefront
The NAMA boss regretted the challenges of COVID-19 around the world, urging that the restart button must be pushed in order for the industry to bounce back .
According to Akinkoutu, aeronautical communications remained the bottle neck threatening capacity in air transportation as it has not been able to meet the demand of traffic in the air, adding however, that future communications will be a different ball game as it will be on the satellite.
Earlier in his address, the NACAN president Mr George Nkambo identified shortage of manpower in the department and urged NAMA to look at their case as a peculiar one as they needed additional 300 personnel to join the 176 on ground to cover all the airports across the country effectively.
He explained that five airports, Jalingo, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Kebbi and Jigiwa were yet to be covered by Communicators operations but most of these airports were involved In Hajj operations.
