The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency has said it will commence 24-hour service in three airports in the country effective March this year.
The airports are located in Yola, Owerri and Enugu.
The agency, however, said the development would be preceded by due consultations with appropriate authorities in the aviation sector
The Managing Director, NAMA, Mr. Nnamdi Udoh, who said this on Friday, explained that the agency would open the runway of the affected airports for 24-hour flight operations after full installation of air field lightings.
Udoh said NAMA would negotiate with airport authority and airline operators wishing to operate night flights at the airports.
He said, “I think there is nothing wrong in me creating 24-hour operation; where there are no 24-hour operations, if you are coming late, you pay NAMA money; but if I make it 24 hours, I want to think that more aeroplanes will come and pay me more money.
“So, we are declaring 24-hour operation because we want to provide manpower, we want to make more airlines to fly; not if its 6pm you are running around quickly because you want to go and land in Owerri before it closes. We are going to make all these airports 24 hours from March when the manpower is available.
“There will be put on Notice to Airmen to inform the airports. Critical among them are Yola, Owerri and Enugu; we want to do that so that the airlines can schedule their operations.
“We will talk with them and find out which airport they want, and any airport any operator wants will be available 24 hours.
“There is no point keeping it open and we don’t use it because most of those airports run on diesel.”
On communications, the NAMA boss explained, “Today, the total VHF coverage is finished; we are just transiting from the old technology; switching from one old system until finally everybody will smile. No more stories about TRACON, today is communication and tomorrow it may be AIS.”
According to Udoh, the Automatic Dependent Broadcast System will be installed in the oceanic areas and in Niger Delta for helicopters operations.
The NAMA boss explained the Data Link (Cockpit Pilot Controller Link) was to assist pilots with telex on board, adding that it would reduce voice communications between the pilot and control towers.
Udoh said the radar had the capability of doing that.
“Like an helicopter flying from Port Harcourt to Omagwa in one oil fields there, and it lands there, the pilot needs ADSB to monitor at low level like that,” he said.
He said the agency was still looking at multilateration for Zaria due to the availability of small trainee aeroplanes for the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology.
Udoh said the technology could also be used for surveillance to ascertain the position of planes