The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) said on Tuesday that the commencement of the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) has resolved all problems associated with air traffic control in the country.
Mr Francis Mepba, General Manager, Port Harcourt Regional Office of NAMA, said in Lagos, that “Before the advent of TRACON, it has been a very tactful assignment, it was the period of unnecessary delays on ground because of the procedural air traffic control where you cannot see the aircraft you are communicating with.”
“It was a kind of blind air traffic services before the introduction of TRACON,” Mepba said.
He said that the TRACON has the capability of monitoring flying aircraft with a distance of 250 nautical miles from Port Harcourt, Enugu, Calabar and Benin airports.
Mepba noted that the equipment has reduced flight hours and cost of operation by airlines as they consume less fuel.
He explained that the risks associated with bad weather with the TRACON have also been minimized.
“Even in a severe weather condition occasioned by thunder storm, the radar controller is able to bring the aircraft in to land. The equipment has not given us any problems whatsoever.
“Before the commissioning of the equipment, most of the air traffic engineers were sent abroad where it was manufactured for retraining in order to maintain it with already available spare parts in stock,” he stated.
Mepba lamented that all NAMA equipment at the Port Harcourt airport were being powered by generators, which he said has negatively affected the finances of the organisation.
“The major problem we are facing now is power supply. We run our generators 24 hours, we do not want to wait until we have power surge.
“On the few occasion we have to depend on Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), it is either the voltage is low or more, and we start getting warning alarms everywhere,’’ he said.?