The federal government has approved funds for the upgrade of safe towers in the country’s airports to enhance effective air traffic control and monitoring.
This is just as plans are on to enhance the aeronautical allowances of workers of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA , to reflect the economic situation in the country.
The Managing Director of NAMA, Captain Fola Akinkoutu, who disclosed this in his remark at the 50th Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association, NATCA in Abuja said, NAMA was was worried over the death rate recorded among Air Traffic Controllers, ATCs in the last few years in the country saying that the management was alive to its responsibility in areas of workers welfare.
According to Akinkoutu , ” a lot has been done by the present management of NAMA to address the issue of shortage of Air traffic Controllers, ATCs by converting non technical staff in the system to technical staff while most of the retired ATCs were also engaged after their retirement”.
The NAMA boss while commending members of NATCA for their selfless service, ” sued for dialogue always to address all pending NATCA issues amicably” .
In his good will message at the event, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ,FAAN, Captain Hamisu Yadudu acknowledged the contributions and the role of ATCs and urged stakeholders to celebrate them.
Yadudu, noted that the hallmark of Aviation is safety stressing that “no safety, no aviation industry.” The FAAN boss also highlighted the need for effective communication between the cockpit and aircraft.
In his welcome address, The President of NATCA, Abayomi Agoro, in his welcome address said the workers now heaved a sigh of relief, seeing that the aviation industry was gradually coming ” back on track from the scare of the Covid pandemic”.
He also called on the government to ” reciprocate the good gestures and sacrifices made by the service providers and safety personnel in the aviation industry as appropriate, by looking into the various challenges in the industry with a view to finding lasting solutions to them .”
“We note with satisfaction the recently graduated Radar course at NCAT. The Area Airways Procedural (ACC-39) as well as AC-72 and 73 are ongoing. Basic PANS Ops is also ongoing in Cairo and CPDLC has been approved. We commend the Management for this feat and wish it continues in that manner,” Agoro said.
The theme of the 50th AGM is ‘Air Traffic Management, Safety and Emerging National Security Challenges’.