By Adegboyega Oni
The Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has stated that some international flights could not land at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos because of inclement weather and this however necessitated diversions in the interest of safety.
Mr. Khalid Emele, General Manager, Public Affairs, NAMA, disclosed this to PortNews in Lagos today, saying that the situation was of concerns to NAMA. Emele said ‘’the Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has noted with concerns, the inability of some international flights to land at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, largely due to issues of inclement weather and company minimas of affected airlines. Our position is that such diversions are in the interest of safety.’’
He noted that the landing facilities – The Doppler Very High Omni-Directional Radio Range (DVOR) and the Distance Measuring Equipment (DME)- in the airport have been calibrated.
According to him, ‘’the facts on record however are as follows: Lagos has two runways- 18 Right and 18 Left. The Doppler Very High Omni-Directional Radio Range (DVOR) and the Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) at the airport have successfully been calibrated and passed 100%. The localizer (a component of the Instrument Landing System) responsible for horizontal guidance at runway 18 Left has also passed 100% calibration while the glide slope (which is another component of the Instrument Landing System that provides vertical guidance) is undergoing routine maintenance and by tomorrow (12/02/2020), the maintenance will be concluded and the equipment shall be fully on air.
‘’On Runway 18 Right, there is Category 3 ILS which is still undergoing installation. Presently, Selex Systems, the contractors are working on the realignment of its parameters, preparatory to the calibration and commissioning of the equipment in the shortest possible time.’’
Emele noted that NAMA regretted the inconveniences the diversions might have caused air travelers and other stakeholders but reassured them and the general public that the Nigerian airspace remains safe for seamless and economic air travel.
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