Lagos — Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Alhaji Ibrahim Auyo recently highlighted the importance of the environment and its impact on the safety, effectiveness and efficiency of flight operations.

According to him, it is disheartening to note that Nigeria has one of the best weather conditions when compared with other nations but weather related accidents constitute a greater percentage of accidents and incidents.

He said," Nigeria has one of the best weather conditions when compared with other nations with extremely severe weather conditions like cyclones, typhoons, hurricanes, tsunami but weather related accidents constitute a greater percentage of our total aircraft accidents resulting in very high fatalities"

"This trend can surely be halted if the required weather information as specified above is accurately made available to ATC units, AIS units, Flight Crew and operators in a timely and regular manner for effective planning and control of flights."

He made all these known at an International Conference held at the Lagos Airport Hotel, where he reiterated that the timely, regular and continuous provision of current and forecast weather information to Air Traffic Control, Flight Crew, Flight Operators and the Aeronautical Information Service Units would greatly enhance safe and economic flight operations.

Auyo identified types of severe weather conditions that can adversely affect flight operations to include wind shear, thunderstorms, line squalls, thick dust haze, aircraft icing, microburst, hailstones, low clouds (Stratus Cumulus), cumulonimbus clouds, thick fog, volcanic ash cloud among other.

According to him, the effects of severe weather on flight operations can result in any of the following: Aircraft accidents, flight delays, cancellations and diversions, increased flight times, runway incursions, increased flight times, increased cost of operations, increased congestions at terminals (both passenger and air traffic), increased flight Crew workload which could lead to fatigue and eventually fatal errors, increased ATC workload leading to errors and eventually incidents or accidents.

Others are weather induced flight deviations (lateral or vertical) leads to loss of separation with increased risk of collision, possible damage to aircraft avionics systems leading to system malfunction or total failure, reduction in safety levels, poor breaking conditions on landing due to wet surface conditions, severe weather can lead to minimum fuel due to long holding for weather improvements, severe weather can also lead to flight crew loss of situation awareness.

Auyo also said there were safety measures aimed at minimising the effect of severe weather on flight operations, and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) in consideration of the increased volume of traffic and increased demand for enhanced safety and efficiency in air navigation service delivery has embarked on the review as well as implementation of her Communication Navigation Surveillance/ Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) Plan in line with the ICAO AFI Region CNS/ATM Plan.

He said that one challenge in NAMA with regards managing adverse weather is communication, but said that the agency is developing new communication network.

"The greatest challenge in the provision of Air Traffic Management services is inadequate communication facilities. Consequently, NAMA has embarked on the development of a new communication Network that will be based on a network of VSAT terminals to be sited in all our airports. This project when completed will provide the following deliverables: Extended Range VHF coverage of our entire airspace and coastal areas for effective ATC air-ground communication, Air Traffic Services Direct links between all ATC units (ATS/DS links), On-Line Data Interchange Networks for data transmission between ATC units, AIS Automation for Electronic flight planning, Repetitive Flight Planning, On-line NOTAM services, On-line pre-flight briefing, Electronic obstacle database."

On navigation, Auyo said that NAMA has commenced the transition from conventional system of Navigation to Satellite based system of Navigation.

"To this end, the WGS 84 project for the survey of all our airports has commenced with Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt airports completed. This survey will form the foundation for GNSS implementation in Nigeria or migration to Performance Based Navigation. The project will also deliver RNAV (GNSS) approaches, RNAV SIDs and STARs, RNAV Routes, obstacle database, and ATC training on PBN implementation. "

The project when fully completed, he said, would enhance safety as well as reduce flight times, flight delays, and overhead cost for operators. He also said that in the interim, NAMA is still conducting regular flight calibration of her Navaids as well as investing in the acquisition of conventional Navaids such as DVOR, ILS.

The NAMA boss who also identified surveillance as an important aspect said that the Total Radar Coverage of Nigerian airspace project (TRACON) is at the final stage with Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt completed while Kano is due for completion by this January.

He went further," Also the remote station at Maiduguri has been completed while Obubra, Talata Mafara, Ilorin, and Numan are due for completion by first quarter of 2010. While Terminal Approach Radar services are already been provided in Lagos and Abuja, the provision of Area Radar Control service within the Lagos FIR is expected to commence before end of December 2009 while Kano Area Radar Control is expected to commence latest by the end of 1st quarter of 2010."

He also explained that the TRACON Radar is also equipped with a weather module for weather detection and display at terminal areas of the four major airports. This, he said, is expected to assist ATC in vectoring aircraft off severe weather areas thus enhancing safety of operation.

Auyo said that improvements recorded in the Communication, Navigation and Surveillance infrastructure are aimed at enhancing ATM capacity and efficiency. However in order to ensure safety of flights in severe weather, ATC is charged with the responsibility of: Ensuring that the ATIS is transmitting the current weather information, ensuring that both lateral and vertical separation minima are increased in the event of severe weather conditions, ensuring that all prevailing weather reports and related forecasts are made available to operators or flight crew as appropriate, ensuring that the State Weather minima for each airport is strictly adhered to and any violation dully reported.

Other responsibilities include ensuring that aircraft under Radar control are provided with adequate navigation assistance for severe weather avoidance, ensuring that Reverse Vertical Separation Minimal (RVSM) operations are temporarily suspended within any area where aircraft are largely unable to maintain assigned levels or tracks due to severe weather conditions and finally ensuring that all flights are provided with adequate flight information service or advisory service with respect to severe weather conditions.