The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has announced that it has successfully conducted the site acceptance test for its newly installed surface movement radar and ground control systems in Abuja and Lagos airports.
This, the agency said is to enable air traffic controllers to monitor aircraft and vehicular movement during low visibility or night time.
The agency disclosed that this was in preparation to the full deployment of the radar in few days time.
Speaking while conducting the site acceptance test of the radar equipment in Abuja, the Acting Managing Director of NAMA, Matthew Lawrence Pwajok, stated that in furtherance to its quest to enhance the safety and efficiency of flight operations in Nigeria, the agency had embarked on the procurement of the surface movement radar due to its capability for detection, monitoring, and control of aircraft and vehicles on the ground for the purpose of preventing collision between aircraft, and between aircraft and vehicles as well as between aircraft and obstacles on the ground (runway, taxiway, and apron).
Pwajok said “the surface movement radar which is a primary radar would provide surveillance for aircraft and vehicles on the ground for the air traffic controller rather than physically seeing or looking out on the runway, the apron, taxiway or parking gate.
“Presently, what obtains is that the ground control is manually done. Air traffic controllers at the tower look outside to see where the aircraft is, to separate it, clear it for takeoff, and landing, and direct it to taxi to the parking gate.
“But with surface movement radar, guidance on the ground is automated as every surface movement is displayed clearly on the console.
“So, with this, that problem has been solved. It has reduced stress on the air traffic controller as he can now see everything from the console.
“In Abuja, the Chinese terminal also blocked the tower and controllers can neither see the international terminal nor the presidential wing. At the moment we are using the mobile tower to augment the view.
“But with surface movement radar, we won’t need the mobile tower there anymore as every part of the airport is visible from the console,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pwajok has said the agency was working with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the airlines to ensure that all vehicles coming to the airside carry a transponder to enable the surface movement radar to identify them and the controller to communicate and control them.
On the training of personnel for the equipment, the NAMA boss said engineers had already been trained since last year while arrangements have been concluded for 12 air traffic controllers to proceed for training in a matter of days.