NAMA completes first phase of solar power installations.

Sky Watch Nigeria.

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) says it has completed the first phase of installation of solar power units to eliminate challenges associated with erratic power supply to navigational aids in parts of the country.

A statement in Lagos on Saturday, signed by Supo Atobatele, the agency’s General Manager, Public Affairs, quotes Nnamdi Udoh, the Managing Director, as saying that the project would cover six locations.

He said that the project awarded at a cost of N218 million would cover Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Bida in Niger.

Udoh in the statement said: “this is another milestone in saving money and diversifying our power source to solar energy.

“It is a project that has been ongoing and is now fully completed and we are now using it, saving us the huge amount we use to spend on diesel to power generators and the downtime we use to experience, due to power failure.’’

He said that the agency would continue to explore other areas to deploy the use of the technology to enhance its operational efficiency.

“The solar power is solely for navigation/landing aids for now in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, Bida and Enugu where we have major issues regarding constant power supply to the runways and air field lighting,’’ he said.

Udoh also added that power supply to the airfield and runways in the airports were erratic and that the agency used to keep them alight by running generators on 24-hour basis. The managing director said that the cost of the project also include the training of NAMA staff in the handling of the installations.

He assured that the next phase of the project cover other airports and that it was expected to begin before the end of next month January.

Aviation Stakeholders to work together for progress. - AFARN.

Sky Watch Nigeria.

Speaking on aviation safety at the Safety Summit 2012, the President, Association of Foreign Airlines and Representatives, Mr. Kingsley Nwokoma, has called on stakeholders in Nigeria’s aviation sector to come together to move the industry forward.

The summit which was organized in Lagos on Wednesday 28/11/2012 had in attendance representatives of foreign carriers, service providers, regulators, airport authority personnel and other ancillary service providers, provided opportunity for experts in the sector to examine issues of air safety.

Chairman, Aviation Round Table, Captain Dele Ore, who presented a paper on “Human Error: Common Denominator in Aviation Incidents”, contributed to the issue by explaining how provisions should be put in place for the fallible nature of man to curtail human errors in aviation business.

Ore observed that most accidents in the sector appeared traceable to management negligence and failure to adhere to industry standards and practices. He said issues of industry regulation, design consideration and non- adherence to standard operating procedures usually came to focus when causes of air disaster were critically analysed.

In a concluding statement, Nwokoma stressed that aviation could not be on the path to recovery if safety was on the front burner. While lauding the ongoing remodelling exercise across the nation’s airports, the AFARN leader called for the expansion of the cargo apron at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

He also said the proposed Aerotropolis concept of the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah, stating that would add value to aviation business, calling all stakeholders’ inclusion in driving the process of safety in the sector.

Bomb scare hoax on Arik Air aircraft.

Sky Watch Nigeria.

The management if Arik Air has dispelled the rumour making the rounds yesterday  that a passenger attempted to bomb its aircraft operating a flight from Maiduguri to Abuja. According to the spokesman of the airline, Mr Ola Adebanji ''to set the records straight, a passenger on board flight W3 812 from Maiduguri to Abuja caused a scare when he started shouting Allah Akbar shortly before the aircraft landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja'' he said. The frightened passengers on board the flight became suspicious and began to get worried the man was up to something.

Although all the passengers on board the flight, including the man in question, had initially gone through the normal security check at the Maiduguri International Airport and nothing incriminating was found on anyone. However, when the aircraft landed in Abuja, another security check was conducted on the passenger and nothing incriminating was found on him. 

A further security search was conducted on the operating aircraft, a Boeing 737-700 NG (Next Generation) and no trace of bomb or explosives were found. The aircraft went back to service immediately. 

Olabanji also added that ''Arik Air wishes to assure guests that all its flights undergo strict security checks and passengers have nothing to fear. The airline’s Aviation Security Department is one the most sophisticated in the industry and its commitment to security and safety of passengers is second to none in Africa."

The airline just last weekend in Accra, Ghana won the award of the Best Security and Safety Conscious Airline in West and Central Africa by the IICP.