A’Ibom Airport Gets Facelift

The Akwa Ibom International Airport, Uyo is being given a facelift as the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) in conjunction with ASECNA Aviation Company plan to undertake a comprehensive calibration of the navigational aids at the airport.

According to the Head, Public Affairs Unit of the Ibom Airport Development Company,  the calibration is a process of carrying out all necessary adjustments to bring the performance of navigational aids into compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisations (ICAO) specifications.

Head of NAMA team, Mr. Hakeem Ogunmola explained that to carry out the calibration exercise, the team comprised a pilot, a flight inspector, ground inspector and other allied professionals, adding that ASECNA, an accredited IGAO aviation company is the technical partner to NAMA.

He said that the navigational aids that have received the attention of the NAMA.ASECNA team include the instrument landing system (ILS), which carries components such as the localiser, the glide slope and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) which are very essential for landing, especially in bad weather condition.

Another navigational aid up for evaluation and adjustment is the very High Omnidirectional Radio (VOR)which also carries its own Distance Measuring Equipment, Ogunmola stated, pointing out that the VOR is what gives enroute and terminal guidance to the pilot.

The NAMA team head noted that other navigational aids in the line up for checks include the Non-Directional Beacon (NDB) which complements the VOR, though not as precise as the VOR and the Papi which gives the visual Angle of descent and also assists the pilots in establishing visibility.

Said he: “After the calibration exercise, ASECNA will issue certificate of excellent performance after which the equipment can be legally used”, adding that until now, if the navigational aids were ever in use, they were so on test run.

Also speaking, the head of ASECNA team from Dakar, Senegal, Mr. Nganam Jorin, a flight inspector, noted that the Akwa Ibom International Airport has one of the longest runways in Nigeria.

The Agence pour la securite de la Navigation Aerienne en Afrique et nadagas car (ASECNA), is an international aviation services company specializing in airport naviagational aids calibration based in Dakar, Senegal.