Nigeria’s airspace secure, says NCAA

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has responded to allegations that the country’s airspace is insecure due to lack of radar coverage, stating that the claims are baseless and unguarded.

NCCA’s Director General Civil Aviation, Chris Najomo, in a statement on Monday, said that it investigated two recent cases of violations of the prohibited flight zones (DNP4) in Abuja and established that both violations comprised controlled flights in a controlled airspace but strayed into restricted airspace as a result of adverse weather.

The authority also confirmed that Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) had complete radar footage of the two violations with full details of the identities of the aircraft and operators involved.

It added that this was only made possible due to functional primary and secondary surveillance radars in Abuja.

Similar installations are in Lagos, Kano and Port-Harcourt.

NCAA stated, “The Authority, in keeping with its regulatory responsibilities issued an All Operators Letter (AOL DGCA/021/24) wherein the term ‘unknown aircraft’ was used as reported to NCAA which is the normal security terminology. However, as explained above, investigations revealed NAMA had complete footages and details of the aircraft that entered the prohibited flight zone. The writer, obviously, not conversant with the technical operations of radar systems ought to have simply consulted the right professionals to be educated accordingly.

“For purposes of clarity, the Primary Surveillance Radar alone only identifies aircraft as moving targets without aircraft identity. The Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MSSR), on the other hand, which forms a major component of the TRACON, is the equipment that allows for identification of any aircraft equipped with ATC Mode ‘S’ transponder.

“The requirement for all aircraft flying in controlled airspace to have serviceable ATC transponders in an international standard that Nigeria ensures strict adherence to. This requirement derived from Annex 6 to the Convention on International Aviation is documented in Part 7 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations. This, therefore, makes it a violation of the regulations, and indeed a security breach, for any aircraft to put this system off while flying in controlled airspace, and such action would attract appropriate sanctions in accordance with NCAA’s enforcement procedures, including possible criminal referral.”

On the issue of Air Traffic Controllers’ (ATCOS) welfare, NCAA revealed that it had only recently intervened in a dispute between ATCOs and NAMA over the need for improved ATCO remuneration and working conditions.

“As regards the improvement of Nigeria’s aviation infrastructure, Nigeria’s Radar coverage is being backed up with five additional MSSR stations at Obubbra, Ilorin, Talata Mafara, Maiduguri and Numan to augment the four existing Radar centers to achieve total coverage of the country. This is also in line with the Honourable Minister’s five-point agenda on infrastructure and fully supported by NCAA’s oversight in ensuring installed infrastructure continually deliver the desired output.

It is worth noting that such upgrade is normal global practice when dealing with any electronics system. These systems must be updated from time to time since technology is not static, and the Authority through its continuous oversight has not found NAMA wanting in this regard. Thus, NAMA in coordination with the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development is working on system upgrade of the Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) infrastructure.”

The Authority, however, assured the public that everything necessary is being done to ensure safe and secure air navigation in Nigeria’s airspace and that there is no cause for alarm.