The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) says it has created a National Air Navigation Planning Unit to enhance air navigation in the country.
The agency’s Director of Operations, Mr Matthew Pwajok, made the announcement during the training of 20 personnel of the new unit.
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He said that the unit was in accordance with the provisions of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
Pwajok said the unit would facilitate the development and implementation of a National Air Navigation Plan, National Aviation System Block Upgrade (ASBU) Plan, National Air Traffic Management Plan as well as new concepts of ICAO.
He said the unit was vested with the mandate to oversee the domestication and replication of ICAO’s global and regional plans for enhancement of air navigation in the country.
He added that the job ahead of the team was both strategic and critical as they would be researching to define future requirements of NAMA and airspace user requirements.
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Pwajok said this would enhance airspace capacity, air traffic management capacity, efficiency and economy and safety of flight operations.
“If we must encourage traffic growth into our airspace, then we must develop strategic growth plans, be sensitive to airline equipage and their user requirements.
“We need not reinvent the wheel as ICAO has developed adequate strategies for the enhancement of capacity, safety, security and efficiency etc.
“We must, therefore, domesticate these global plans into national plans for implementation in accordance with global, regional or national timelines and priorities,” he said in a statement by Mr Khalid Emele, General Manager, Public Affairs, NAMA.
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He noted that the team would be required to work towards ensuring the effective implementation of the three major global plans of ICAO.
They are Global Air Navigation Plan, Global Aviation Safety Plan and Global Aviation Security Plan.
Pwajok said ICAO was drawing global attention to emerging challenges such as cyber threats or cybersecurity.
“Therefore we must develop a security plan for our Communication, Navigation and Surveillance/ Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) facilities.
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“If these systems are hacked, safety and security could be compromised.
“Thus, the air navigation planning team will work in collaboration with other agencies as the implementation of some of these ICAO concepts requires collaboration with sister agencies, the users, the military, and NCAA,” he said.
Pwajok said the team would equally interrelate with some ICAO structures such as the Air Navigation Bureau (ANB), Technical Cooperation Bureau (TCB) and Air Transport Bureau (ATB).
According to him, others are the Regional Aviation Safety Group (RASG) and the AFI Planning and Implementation Regional Group (APIRG).
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“We need a team that understands the workings of these ICAO bodies as they are the technical works of ICAO that affect us directly.
“The team will be expected to strategise and ensure active participation in ICAO activities, meetings, and workshops, thereby ensuring that NAMA becomes a key player in the affairs of the international body at the regional and global levels,” he said.
