The Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) says it hopes to be a leading Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) worth over N30 billion in the next three years.
Considering the infrastructure it has put in place, which, it says, remains a world-class, it means the nation’s air services facilitator would need an N11 billion boost to reach that target in three years. NAMA also has some other big “dreams,” the most significant being the making of “a low-incident ANSP (zero-accident)” airspace in Nigeria.
Doable? “All ambitious, but achievable,” says Mazi Nnamdi Udoh, the managing director and chief executive officer, who currently calls the shots at the Agency.
A series of far-between, but far-reaching, air disasters in the last nine years — the most recent being the Dana crash and its protracted controversy — have created passenger phobia that has kept the domestic arm of the aviation business in a punctuated genuflection.
Operators cry of bad business, not so much as a result of low patronage, but due to harsh operating and financial environment: The N400 billion Intervention Fund for the Aviation sector turned out to be a huge controversy, while most of the banks are less than willing to go all the way with loan-seeking airlines.
Consequently, the Federal Government, through the Aviation Ministry, has perfected plans to purchase a number of aircraft for willing operators in an arrangement that would help willing local operators get long-term facilities.
In deed, managers of the Nigerian Airspace have no other choice than to ensure that things really work.
NAMA, just like its other sister organizations, in the aviation sector, are constantly reforming, training staff, buying and installing whatever there is to meet growing expectations at home and abroad.
Nigeria is central to global aviation business and only a vibrant ANSP that is run as business concern would be able to tap into the potentials. Because the Airspace presents itself as a shorter route for aircraft traveling to the American continent from Asia, it is often the bride of most international airlines.
Since NAMA makes (or is expected to make) its revenue from airlines using or flying over the Nigerian airspace, this potential could be properly harnessed to attain most, if not all, of these targets.
But bringing NAMA’s dreams to fruition will have to depend on carrying all of current efforts to a winning conclusion, which only comes with lesser government participation in the business of providing navigation services.
But Nigeria is, perhaps, one of the few countries, where ANSPs are still run as government business.
The United States and the United Kingdom, the aviation templates of which are variously copied by developing nations, are mere investors in the business.
So, how can the airspace truly become Africa’s aviation hub? Beyond providing the physical airport infrastructure (which falls within the domain of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)) and sound standards/quality regulation (almost an exclusivity of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), sustaining a safe airspace is key.
If all the indices are right, maybe NAMA could achieve its target of joining the league of world-class providers, in just three years.
Udoh is an engineer of repute and probably understands the nitty-gritty of getting there; at least, he and his foot soldiers (technical managers) at NAMA promised that much.
Reeling out statistics in a telephone conversation yesterday, General Manager (Surveillance), Nwankwo Ifeanyi Francis, said the current value of NAMA – thanks to the now completed “world-class” Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) — is N19 billion.
This is a give-and-take estimate, according to Mr. Nwankwo, who observed that the dream of Nigeria’s aviation sector sitting as the African hub would not be ambitious enough going by the strategic position of the country.
The Agency said it beefed up capacity to be able to provide services for international airlines, which, hitherto, relied on US satellite services while flying over the ocean waters.
As a roadmap to becoming Africa’s leading ANSP, Udoh said the Agency is driving towards self-sustenance on Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), access to funds for capital projects, diversification to non-aeronautical revenue sources and human capacity development, among others.
The Agency says it has already succeeded in some areas, specifically, the TRACON project, safe tower, total VHF Radio Coverage, AIS Automation, procurement of Navigational Aids for designated airports, and rehabilitation of 13 control towers.
Others are solar power project, ICT enhancement, VSAT network, Fibre Optics Rings and Mobile Control Tower.
The technical room of the TRACON facility at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos, as recently unveiled by the Agency, represents a convergence of technology that could help the NAMA achieve other set targets.
In Nigeria’s first practical move to comply with the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) principle of separating aviation service providers from the main regulatory agency, NAMA was established in 2000 with a mission to provide safe, efficient, effective and economic air navigation services.
Over the years, efforts have been made to evolve effective airspace architecture by building and strengthening the Agency’s infrastructure and manpower base.
With staff strength of 2,500, it currently has presence in 25 airports with additional nine en-route installations.
Known as Kano Flight Information Region (Kano FIR), the Nigerian Airspace, according to NAMA, contains a sub-FIR, administered by Lagos. The FIR is divided into four sectors — Kano West, which interfaces Niamey FIR (Niger); Kano East, which interfaces Niamey, N’djamena and Brazzaville FIRs; Lagos West, which interfaces Accra FIR; and Lagos East interfacing Accra and Brazzaville FIRs.
Udoh’s targets, according to him, are achievable and will guarantee safety and increased airspace capacity, as well as provide practical benefits to all stakeholders — pilots, airlines and passengers alike.
But completion of the TRACON project is just the beginning of a journey to making Nigeria an African aviation hub.
Source: http://www.ngrguardiannews.com
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