Lagos, Nigeria: Nigeria passed a pilot test for migration from terrestrial air navigation to a satellite-based navigation, the Nigerian Airspace Management Authority (NAMA) announced. Speaking to All Africa, NAMA Managing Director, Nnamdi Udoh, said that this satellite-based navigation is also known as Performance-Based Navigation, PBN.
Udoh observed, “Nigeria’s bold attempt to migrate from terrestrial air navigation to a satellite-based navigation system received a boost at the weekend when two foreign airlines tested the new procedure with pilots landing successfully at the Lagos and Kano airports respectively. The Emirates Airline was the first to carry out the approach test on GNSS, in Lagos while the KLM recorded same in Kano.”
“With the success recorded in our quest for moving from terrestrial to a satellite-based air navigation system, Nigeria has joined the league of big countries that are already operating the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) endorsed air navigation programme,” Udoh said.
In addition, Udoh stated, “To operate on GNSS, aircraft are expected to be equipped with the prescribed gadgets on board for easy link with the satellite for seamless navigation and communication to designated airports. The pilots of the two foreign airlines, while making approach to landing at these airports, had little or no contact with the air traffic controllers except that they were under close watch and monitoring on the radar.”
The NAMA MD noted that the PBN is cost effective, reduced carbon dioxide emission and air traffic controllers’ workload.
According to Udoh, 60 workers in the aviation industry were undergoing training on the satellite-based air navigation system. “They are being trained by a PBN expert, Ed Hajek, from the International Air Transport Association, Montreal, Canada,” he said. “NAMA would train about 250 air traffic controllers on the PBN system.”
Source: All Africa
