Inexcusable lapse

Editorial

By far the busiest airport in Nigeria, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) is on record as handling a passenger traffic that had grown yearly  from 3,817, 338 in 2005 to 6, 367, 478 by 2017. The economic impact of the facility on the country’s economy, as at 2011, was valued at approximately $711 million.

There is no doubt that if these statistics are brought up to date, to include estimates for 2019, the strategic import of the airport to Nigeria’ economy would have appreciated significantly.

Is it then possible that an avoidable lapse would have been allowed to hinder the smooth and efficient functioning of such a critical asset even for a moment, no matter how short the duration? That should not happen.

But that was exactly the case when, for the better part of last week, the Instrument Landing System (ILS) at the MMIA developed a fault, which prevented aircraft from landing on the facility’s runways.

Following complaints from pilots about landing difficulties due to poor performance of the ILS, a problem compounded by weather-induced low visibility, it was discovered that the Visual Glide Slope Indicator (VGSI), which utilizes lights to assist pilots in landing, was giving misleading signals to the ILS, making it impossible for the ILS  to perform its function, of enabling aircraft to land accurately on the runway.

Given the sensitivity of the aviation industry, especially as regards safety of lives, the country is fortunate there was no tragic occurrence before the fault was discovered.

Nevertheless, it is embarrassing that some foreign carriers were compelled to divert flights to Kotoko International Airport, Accra, Ghana, even as the aviation authorities strived to solve the problem and restore normalcy.  Consequently, travellers were made to endure the discomfort and inconvenience of flight diversions and cancellation.

True, unanticipated natural hazards, security emergencies and adverse weather conditions do cause disruptions at aviation facilities across the world.

But there should be no reason the requisite authorities cannot ensure round-the-clock routine monitoring of equipment, as basic and as central as the ILS; and its components to detect and nip malfunctions in the bud, before they become complicated and disabling.

This can only be put down to the perceived culture of sloppiness and lack of diligence in handling responsibilities, which is prevalent in virtually all sectors of our national life.

Of course, it would be unfair to accuse the aviation authorities of not anticipating the problem and acting proactively to upgrade the ILS at the MMIA.

The Minister of Aviation, Mr. Hadi Sirika, has revealed that as at November, 2019, the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), had procured the new Category 111 ILS to replace the Category 11 currently in use. According to the Minister, “The procurement of the Category 111, ILS is in pursuance of the desire of the Federal Government to ensure the safety of air passengers by ensuring that airplanes can land with almost zero visibility”. We, therefore, urge that the new equipment be speedily installed and put in use without compromising necessary safety procedures and standards.

Still, all that would have sounded like a tragic after-thought, had any disaster befallen the country, during the period of the ILS failure.  That would have been tantamount to barring the stable gate only after the stallion had galloped clear!  Which is why the minister should not only answer hard questions on the scandalous failure, officials directly involved should also be sanctioned.  Even after all of these, the minister should know he bears ultimate responsibility.  That is why he must put his house in order, and never again, subject travellers to such dangers in Nigeria’s airspace.

But away from blames, NAMA deserves praise for the acquisition of the $8.5 million calibration aircraft, which will carry out flight checking operations, of the Category 111 and 11 ILS equipment, as well as the VGSI at the MMIA.

However, it is disheartening that this new aircraft, though owned by the Nigerian government, will require a foreign crew to operate it, as local personnel have not been trained to handle the specialized functions.

Surely, the need to nurture the requisite local expertise in this regard should have been contemplated when the decision was made to acquire the new equipment?  We, therefore, urge the aviation authorities to expedite action on the installation of the new equipment, training of local personnel to handle them and further upgrading of navigation facilities nationwide.

Continuous monitoring, servicing and maintenance of aviation facilities should be the watchword from now on.