Everything is not perfect, but there’s no need to declare war – FAAN
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has defended the state of health of its navigation and landing aids saying they are in top form.
Spokesman for the agency, Mr. Khalid Emele said this in a statement in response to the assertion by the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (NATCA) that British Airways and Air France diverted their flights to Accra and Cotonou respectively due to on non-functional landing facilities at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
“The sad event was occasioned by poor visibility and haze but more worryingly accentuated by the degraded state of navigational and landing facilities due to lack of calibration.
“We are equally concerned with the untold hardship the situation has visited on our members working in Lagos Terminal Approach position whose statutory responsibility is to ensure a round the clock safety in taking off and landing,” NATCA had said.
Responding, Emele said: “Our navigational facilities are operating optimally but are awaiting flight calibration in line with NCAA and International Civil aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations and world best practices.
“The idea behind the installation of CAT III Instrument Landing System in strategic airports in the country was borne out of the need to enhance safety, efficiency, access and seamlessness of flight operations in our airspace especially during the harmattan season.
“The prevailing weather condition in Lagos of 1,500m is within the approved minimum state weather conditions for Performance Based Navigation (PBN) approach and landing on Runway 18 Right as well as Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach and landing on Runway 18 Left which is 400m.”
On the diversion of flights to Cotonou and Accra respectively, Emele said: “The British Airways company requirement for approach and landing on runway 18 Right using PBN is 1800m as against the prevailing visibility of 1500m.
“All other foreign operators including Emirates, Delta, KLM, Lufthansa, etc landed on the same runway in similar weather conditions.
“It should also be noted that BA, despite the above diversion, BA has been operating into Lagos daily using the ILS CATII on Runway 18 Left with the same prevailing weather conditions. Therefore, these diversions are avoidable based on existing facilities. The newly installed CAT III ILS was implemented to forestall situations like this.”
Emele reassued “all airspace users and the general public that the Nigerian airspace remains safe for air travel as the agency is working assiduously towards continuously upgrading its navigational infrastructure in line with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices.”
Similarly, the managing director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Capt. Rabiu Yadudu blamed the British Airways for the diversion a Lagos-bound flight to Accra, Ghana.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja, Yadudu said the Murtala Muhammad International Airport has the required facilities to enable airlines land safely all day irrespective of the type and size of aircraft.
He dismissed the claim that the landing facilities at the airport have issues.
“It does not represent what actually happened. BA diverted on its own accord not because they couldn’t land, but because they felt their own SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) demands that they divert.
“But the conditions were right for them to land, it was about 5:30 pm, it was not sun set and the Runway Visual Range (RVR) was about 1800 but their company’s RVR was a bit higher, and nothing says they cannot have a higher one. But our own is 18, our landing condition visual as at that time, they met those conditions. It was because they have a higher standard and they went.
“All over the world, different airlines have a standard that is higher than the threshold but nothing says you are not allowed to go below.
“So they decided and went to Accra, primarily because Accra happened to be the nearest suitable airport for them, not because there are no other airports. If Abuja was closer they would have gone to Abuja; if Ibadan was well-equipped they would have gone to Ibadan, just for the suitability, because they will get the handling, accommodations, hotels, others.
“And I think they avoided Cotonou because it is a French-speaking country, but the next day they came back to Lagos under the same conditions and they landed and we made it clear and asked them, so why didn’t you land yesterday and have to go through the discomfort of carrying passengers overnight to other stations.
“I’m not saying everything is perfect but at times there is no need to declare war when there is no war.”
