…as NAAE affirms NAMA’s position
By Sade Williams
The attention of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has assured Nigerians that the nation’s airspace is safe and secure.
While saying that there is no reason to doubt the full coverage of Nigeria’s airspace by Radar, it further assured that the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) is in control.
The NCAA in a statement signed by the acting Director general, Capt. Chris Najomo, on Monday, the Authority said it was reacting to statements in some quarters insinuating that the Nigerian airspace is insecure due to lack of coverage by Radar.
While saying that it firmly aligns with the statement from the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) on the Total Radar Coverage Of Nigeria (TRACON), the Authority said it investigated two recent cases of violation of the prohibited flights zones – DNP4 – in Abuja and established that both violations comprised of controlled flights in a controlled airspace, but strayed into restricted airspace as a result of adverse weather.
“NCAA can also confirm that NAMA had complete radar footages of the two violations with full details of the identities of the aircraft and operators involved. This was only made possible due to functional Primary and Secondary Surveillance Radars in Abuja. Similar installations are in Lagos, Kano and Port-Harcourt.
“The Authority in keeping with its regulatory responsibilities issued an All Operators Letter (AOL DGCA/021/24) wherein the term ‘unknown aircraft’ was used as reported to NCAA which is the normal security terminology. However, as explained above, investigations revealed NAMA had complete footages and details of the aircraft that entered the prohibited flight zone. The writer, obviously, not conversant with the technical operations of radar systems ought to have simply consulted the right professionals to be educated accordingly.”, it said
It noted further that for purposes of clarity, the Primary Surveillance Radar alone only identifies aircraft as moving targets without aircraft identity, adding that the Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MSSR), on the other hand, which forms a major component of the TRACON, is the equipment that allows for identification of any aircraft equipped with ATC Mode ‘S’ transponder.
“The requirement for all aircraft flying in controlled airspace to have serviceable ATC transponders in an international standard that Nigeria ensures strict adherence to. This requirement derived from Annex 6 to the Convention on International Aviation is documented in Part 7 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations. This, therefore, makes it a violation of the regulations, and indeed a security breach, for any aircraft to put this system off while flying in controlled airspace, and such action would attract appropriate sanctions in accordance with NCAA’s enforcement procedures, including possible criminal referral.
On the issue of welfare of Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs), the NCAA said it had, recently, intervened in a face-off between ATCOs and NAMA on the need for improved remuneration and working conditions for the staff,
“As regards the improvement of Nigeria’s aviation infrastructure, Nigeria’s Radar coverage is being backed up with five additional MSSR stations at Obubbra, Ilorin, Talata Mafara, Maiduguri and Numan to augment the four existing Radar centers to achieve total coverage of the country. This is also in line with the Honourable Minister’s five-point agenda on infrastructure and fully supported by NCAA’s oversight in ensuring installed infrastructure continually deliver the desired output.
“It is worth noting that such upgrade is normal global practice when dealing with any electronics system. These systems must be updated from time to time since technology is not static, and the Authority through its continuous oversight has not found NAMA wanting in this regard. Thus, NAMA in coordination with the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development is working on system upgrade of the Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) infrastructure.
“Finally, the NCAA wishes to unequivocally assure the public that there is no cause for alarm as everything necessary is being undertaken to ensure safe and secure air navigation in Nigeria’s airspace.”, it added.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Air Traffic Engineers (NAAE), at the weekend, explained that NAMA under the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) project, deployed four Primary Surveillance Radar (PSR) co-located with the Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MSSR) in Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Port Harcourt, and five stand-alone Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MSSR) systems in Ilorin, Obubra, Maiduguri, Talata Mafara and Numan to ensure the effective coverage of the Nigerian airspace by Radar.
While describing the claim of insecurity as misleading and not a true representation of the Nigerian airspace surveillance system, the President of NAAE, Engr. Selzing Miri in a statement made available to journalists, revealed that the five autonomous stations provides Radar data inputs for the four main stations.
According to Miri, contrary to the claims, all the Primary Surveillance Radar (PSR) services were available except that of Kano airport which was unserviceable and undergoing maintenance
“The Primary Surveillance Radar (PSR) which has a range of 65 Nautical Miles is a solid-state S-band radar with a high performance that can operate with dense air traffic situations, within approach or extended approach control areas. It enables reduced separation between aircraft and features a high processing capacity”
“The MSSR with a range of 250NM will provide aircraft range, azimuth, (ground) speed, altitude and identity. The system is multi-functional and extremely robust with capabilities for information on emergencies, radio communication failures and hijack. This negates the claim that the Secondary Radar just provide a sense of positioning that an aircraft is there”
The NAAE boss said apart from enhancing the level of safety, improving efficiency and reducing the probability of human error, the TRACON system has a high degree of reliability and availability.
“With the Primary Surveillance Radar only the position of the aircraft can be determined. It is used mainly around airports for Approach control, and in certain countries for en-route surveillance. The undisputable advantage of the PSR is that it detects all aircraft in range regardless of aircraft on-board equipment”, he said.
He noted that on the other hand, the Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) is used for Approach and En-route surveillance as it detects and positions aircraft and receives additional information such as their identity and altitude.
